Iowa Works puts new focus on soft skills

CEDAR RAPIDS — Corridor employers want to hire people who can do more than drive a forklift or operate a computer numerical control (CNC) machine, Iowa Workforce Development officials said.

They want employees who will show up on time, work well with others and communicate effectively. But so many times, these skills aren't taught.

That's why the state agency has put an emphasis on teaching underemployed and unemployed clients these so-called soft skills — professional qualities and attitudes that employees can use, such as problem solving and how to work as a team.

'We were realizing that even if (clients) do get a job, they would often lose the job,' said Rachel Daily, team lead for the Promise Jobs program at the Cedar Rapids Iowa Works location. Promise Jobs, which facilitates the soft-skills workshops, is a welfare reform program designed to help participants become more self-sufficient.

So to help people who may struggle with those types of skills, the job training and educational services office began offering soft skills training years ago.

However, it's revamped the course, giving it more structure, and opened it up to more clients than just those in the Promise Jobs program.

The weeklong course is offered about 24 times throughout each year and complements the weeklong job readiness course, which teaches interview- and resume-writing skills. It is held Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and there typically are eight to 12 people enrolled in each class. Participants spend the first half of their day in the computer lab, learning skills like Microsoft Excel, and the second half of the day in the classroom, listening to presentations and having class discussions.

Renae Larson, a work force adviser for Promise Jobs, said Iowa Works is adept at helping get clients trained and matching their skills — truck driving, manufacturing or sales — with job placements.

But sometimes employees still struggle at a job.

'What helps people get promoted or keep their jobs are those soft skills — that is what's so important,' she said.

Gaining confidence

Larson said participants' weeks start off with identifying their core values and beliefs. As the week progresses, they learn to deal with criticism, how to properly express a complaint and how to get along with others whose beliefs may not match their own.

'Not everyone is happy to be here on Monday morning,' she said. 'But by the end of the day on day two, they're asking if they can bring a family member who could also learn to effectively communicate.'

Goodwill of the Heartland created similar training through the help of a three-year grant from the United Way of East Central Iowa.

Tom Muller, who heads the soft-skills training, said the not-for-profit uses classroom space at Iowa Works to teach a wide range of skills including problem solving and teamwork. He works with clients referred to him through Iowa Works, are in the correctional system and individuals in the state's Vocational Rehabilitation Services program, which works with Iowans who have disabilities and struggle finding employment.

The six-week long course teaches skills in the classroom but also gives participants a paid internship at one of the Goodwill locations, he said. At the end, participants earn a certificate so they can prove to employers that, though they're unemployed, they've been working to improve their situation.

They also get a $25 gift card — typically to Target — which Muller said really excites participants.

Classes generally are made up of 10 to 12 students, who range in age from 16- to 62-years-old, he said.

The majority of people enrolled in both the Promise Jobs course and the Goodwill course are unemployed, instructors said, partially because the courses are such a big time commitment.

Many have been unemployed for quite some time, they added, and lack confidence.

'Clients that go through these workshops, when they enter, they don't have a lot of hope,' Larson said. 'But by the end they can walk out hopeful and have a plan and know where to start.'

Muller agreed.

'They're frustrated and at the point of giving up,' he said. 'But this class gives them hope. They're learning ways to be successful.'