Employment

Employment Division Overview

The Urban League of Metropolitan Seattle Employment Department offers the following services to its clients:

• Online job skills training
• Current job announcements
• Local online employment searches
• Individualized assistance for career exploration
• Resource center
• Resume development and cover letter refinement
• Interview Techniques workshops
• Retention services
• Transportation assistance
• Job readiness workshops

The purpose of the Urban League's employment services is to meet the needs of our clients - job seekers and employers. Every day, job seekers come into the Urban League's Resource Center looking for information about job opportunities, for assistance on creating or improving a resume, and for an analysis of their skills and prospects. Employers who are seeking to fill entry to mid-level positions and who value a diverse workforce contact ULMS on a regular basis. The Urban League of Metropolitan Seattle receives approximately 600 job announcements each month. ULMS is working to directly place clients with stable companies who have solid reputations and continually demonstrate the willingness to employ the hard to serve. ULMS case managers work with individuals to ensure they are job ready and a good match for employers. The Job Resource Center is open Monday through Thursday, 9:30 am to 5:30 pm. Case managers can be reached at 206.461.3792 Ext. 3034.

The Corporate Membership Program

The Corporate Membership Program builds and utilizes relationships with private industry to refer skilled and unskilled individuals who are seeking employment in available positions. These partnerships also provide employers with opportunities to support other Urban League of Metropolitan Seattle programs. Over 600 employers are registered with the League's job bank.

The National Disabilities Partnership Program

The Urban League of Metropolitan Seattle's National Disabilities Partnership with the Nebraska Urban League, Inc. will serve Washington residents with disabilities by providing access to technology and medical information, jobs skills training, and the opportunity for meaningful, satisfying work. ULMS staff will seek to provide skills training directly to clients unable to come into our office through our unique partnership with Knowledge Anywhere, a distance online education provider.

Minority Skills Bank

The Minority Skills Bank (MSB) is an updated listing of people of color who are seeking employment in professional positions. MSB registrants undergo an interview with the employment case manager, during which job skills, career objectives and other information pertinent to a desirable and successful placement are recorded. The case manager then works with the community and private industry to provide an appropriate job referral and a good match for the positions.

Internship Program

The Internship Program consists of business partnerships with private companies that are hiring job seekers who are willing to work while continuing their education.

Special Recruitment Program

The Employment Program has established a working partnership with some employers that are recruiting large numbers of minority job seekers. The League's employment staff uses different marketing strategies such as fliers, community newspapers, minority owned radio stations and career (job) fairs to do special recruitment. Once the recruitment has been completed, a workshop is scheduled so that the job seekers can be interviewed and possibly hired by those companies.

Job Placement

Our job placement strategy begins with attaining an understanding of the employer's and employee's needs. After our assessment of each individual job seeker, we will match employer opportunities with employee strengths. Jobs that offer a minimum of thirty hours per week and a minimum of $8.00 per hour wage will be sought.

We will market our employees by assuring each employer the following:

• Each employee will have received proper assessment and job readiness training before beginning employment.
• We will enter into an agreement with the employer ensuring that our case management services will provide consistent follow-up.

Case Management

Case management is organized to monitor a client's performance and progress. It is also a tool for enhancing a client's success. Case management begins at the initial screening. A file is created for each job seeker detailing comprehensive information including their skills level, professional strengths and weaknesses, transportation needs, and housing situation. Included in the file is a unit log that records the case manager's contact with the job seeker and the employer. A case management plan of action is formed for each individual.

Retention

We will seek to ensure high retention rates by working closely with employers and employees. Site visits by ULMS case managers will be scheduled if requested by the employer. The purpose of these follow-up efforts is to anticipate and/or prevent any problems that may hinder long-term job retention and to ensure that the lines of communication remain open between the employee, employer, and case manager.

Have questions or need further information? Contact Marilynn Harris (mharris@urbanleague.org), Employment & Training Manager, 206.461.3792 Ext. 3034