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From the Field
Preface from the Editor
A number of places in the world seem to be having similar labour force
challenges related to meeting service needs for people with a variety of
disabilities. In the USA there are some rumblings that may shake up the
vocational rehabilitation field. In Norway there recently was a conference
involving people from a number of European countries where universities and
colleges were comparing notes on issues that were arising in their countries.
The following article 'From the Field' provides a picture of activities
underway in the Province of Alberta, Canada, where similar issues are being
faced. We would be pleased to present other similar articles from other
places as a means of sharing both information and insights on future
directions as these are achieved
Introduction
Workforce 2010 is a series of integrated workforce strategies developing a comprehensive solution to the labour market challenges in services to children with disabilities and adults with developmental disabilities. In the true spirit of partnership, responsiveness and accountability, this project under the direction of the Alberta Association of Rehabilitation Centers (AARC) brings together the Government of Alberta, community service providers, families/guardians, employees, educators and other members of the rehabilitation sector in a collaborative initiative responding to well-documented human resource needs.
The activities proposed in this project are designed to occur over a three-year time frame.
The following is from a paper from the proceedings of the "Many Faces of Leadership" Conference, held in May 2005.
Workforce 2010: Towards an integrated Human Resources Strategy for the Rehabilitation Field in Alberta.
May 2005
Presentation at The Many Faces of Leadership by Alex Hillyard, PhD., CEO, Northeast Alberta Community Board; Ed Riediger, MEd.; CEO, Robin Hood Association; and Maureen Murphy-Black, MSW, Director of Strategic Development, The Alberta Association of Rehabilitation Centers.
Dr. Hillyard defines the element of effective organizational leadership and change as:
- Establishing a Common Vision and understanding.
- Getting the Commitment of the people involved.
- Connecting people to each other.
- Having the Courage to follow through.
- Celebrating success.
Workforce 2010 demonstrates these five C's of effective organizational leadership and change as it undertakes the task of addressing labour market issues that face the field of community rehabilitation.
Common Vision
"Alberta is expected to have one of the highest levels of labour shortage concerns in the country. While all sectors will be vulnerable to the increased numbers of retirees, community service and health care are expected be the most affected."
(Facts for a Solid Foundation prepared for Workforce 2010, October 2004)
The workforce that supports individuals with disabilities and their families to live their lives and be participating contributors to their communities is currently and will continue to be severely impacted by Alberta's labour market shortage. This is an employment sector that requires significant investment within the overall labour market shortages and skill development strategies being developed by the Government of Alberta.
WORKFORCE 2010 proposes a series of integrated provincial workforce strategies for a comprehensive solution to labour market challenges in services to persons with developmental disabilities in Alberta. The activities in this initiative are designed to occur over a three year timeframe (2004-2007). They have the potential to positively impact the quality of the work environment for over 14,000 employees currently working in the rehabilitation field, while ensuring a solid foundation for the future workforce.
Vision
By the year 2010, the Province of Alberta will have a well-trained and stable community rehabilitation workforce recognized as professionals providing valued services.
Goal
To provide a comprehensive solution to current and long-term human resource challenges in services to persons with developmental disabilities through a series of integrated strategies.
Objectives
Through six inter-related projects spanning over three years, WORKFORCE 2010 aims to :
- develop and disseminate labour market intelligence
- provide employers with industry-specific human resource management training and planning tools
- develop the groundwork for implementing a successful human resources social marketing campaign, and
- build community capacity by forging alliances and sharing best practices and principles.
Commitment
The commitment to quality community services provided by qualified staff has been in the minds and hearts of people receiving services, funding services and working in services since the start of de-institutionalization in the late sixties.
The late '60s and '70s were characterized by the development of schools, residences and workshops operated by non-profit parent organizations. The development of facilities and programs were the primary focus of these organizations. Organizations independently evolved their personnel, policies and procedures. There were no efforts to link or harmonize the diverse approaches to human resource management.
Throughout the 1980s, the field of community rehabilitation continued to grow very rapidly. As the field expanded, human resource issues related to staff wages, turnover and skill development began to emerge. The need for an organized and comprehensive approach to human resource planning became evident.
There was general agreement among service providers, funders and post-secondary institutions that a co-ordinated approach to human resources planning was needed. The challenge was identifying who would provide leadership for this process. In 1989, the Alberta Association for Rehabilitation Centres (AARC) accepted this responsibility on behalf of all service providers.
Throughout the 1990s, the Community Rehabilitation Careers Project (CRCP) laid the foundation for a comprehensive provincial approach to human resources planning. CRCP produced a number of useful products including a job classification and evaluation process, human resources administration training and a model personal policy manual. AARC also produced a very successful in-services staff training program which was called "Basic Skills Training (BST)".
In 1998, Alberta adapted a Community Governance model under the name of "Persons with Developmental Disabilities (PDD)". PDD assumed responsibility for the "Community Rehabilitation Workforce Strategy". It soon became clear that a shared effort would be necessary to address human resource planning in the field of community rehabilitation .
Connecting
The Alberta Association of Rehabilitation Centers decided to take leadership in a re-vitilization of a workforce strategy. AARC conceived a workforce strategy that would be future focused. It would include strategic components and have a provincial/regional committee structure. The approach for undertaking the work would be one of educational discovery ever looking for long term, stable solutions.
The areas for discovery included data collection from individuals and their families, employees, employers, the community and the literature.
A proposal was put together and partners who would be interested in moving forward the vision of a responsive and sustainable workforce to support children, youth and adults with disabilities were invited to participate. The invitation was welcomed by partners and funders including the membership of AARC, the Provincial PDD Board, the Community PDD Boards, Ministry of Human Resources and Employment, Ministry of Children's and Family Services, Office of Disability Issues, the Alberta Association for Community Living and Grant MacEwan College.
Courage
The projects in Workforce 2010 Initiative through the collaborative actions of partners throughout the province are starting to move forward.
Job Benchmarks and Job Evaluations
Project 1
The Job Benchmarks and Job Evaluations project of the Workforce 2010 project will update job functions, competency data and classifications defined by AARC's Community Rehabilitation Careers Project (CRCP) in the early-mid 1990's, and make them more relevant to the current workforce requirements. This project will result in a product that is current and relevant. It will include classification tools and approaches and a draft implementation strategy. Information from this project will be used to work with educators to articulate training requirements.
Characteristics and Trends of the Current and Future Workforce
Project 2
The purpose of this project is to define the current workforce and the projected workforce over the next 5-10 years in the industry, including demographic information, qualifications, training needs, and rural/urban differences . An integral part of this research will be a tool for employers to routinely track characteristics and trends within their organizations. The data from this project will contribute valuable information for a comprehensive human resource training package for employers.
Characteristics and Profile of individuals who currently and in the future will access services
Project 3
This project will define the current consumers and the projected consumers over the next 5-10 years, including demographic information, disability types and support requirements. This information is critical to articulate the skills and qualifications needed in the workforce. A useful by-product of this research will be a tool for service providers and policy makers to track this information within specific organizations and the industry as a whole. This data will also contribute valuable information to be included in a comprehensive human resource training package for employers.
Characteristics of Exemplary Employers (Employers of Choice)
Project 4
This project will result in the identification of current and future benchmark standards on human resource management principles and practices to recruit and retain staff. It will create a bank of ideas for service providers to use within their organizations for human resource management. A self-assessment tool for use by employers to examine their recruitment and retention strategies will be prepared.
Public Image of the Industry and Strategic Plan for Social Marketing
Project 5
The purpose of this research is to identify perceptions and opinions regarding careers in the rehabilitation sector and understand the barriers and motivations to entering and remaining in the workforce. The information gathered in this project will be used to support the development of a comprehensive marketing and strategic communications plan to address the public image of this field. The goal of the campaign would be to 1) convey respect for rehabilitation work, 2) identify the field as a respected career choice, and 3) demonstrate the value of the work and the population that is supported by it.
Year One :(2004-2005)
Year one of the project is focusing on gathering information on the work done in this field, labour market intelligence on the workforce, the characteristics and expectation of individuals and families who access the support of this workforce and developing tools to assist in monitoring strategic information on workforce trends. The chart below outlines the multiple strategies being utilized to collect information.
The Results So Far
The results on the information gathering and tool development are currently being delivered.
The work on job benchmarks and job evaluations has resulted in the creation of six common benchmark profiles that describe the work in the community rehabilitation sector. All service providers in Alberta will be invited to participate in a pilot to test the job profiles. A one-day workshop on job profiles and job evaluation will be offered in each region in the Fall 2005. The Job Profile and Implementation Manual will be provided at the workshop.
The paper that integrates findings from the employer survey, the family focus groups, and the literature review is under development. This paper will provide information on characteristics and trends of the current and future workforce, the characteristics and profiles of individuals who access service and the kind of support people will want in the future. Information will be integrated into multimedia presentations hosted on a website. The full suite of information will be available by Fall 2005.
Information on employers of choice and tools for tracking strategic human resource information will be finalized during May and June.
The qualitative research done on the public image of the work of this field is available for review at www.albertarehab.org under Workforce 2010.
Celebration
It is important to celebrate our progress to date and the results of Year I. Energy and enthusiasm continue to mount as we move into Year II. Our next year will focus on community education and applications of our resources developed in Year 1.
In addition to recognizing smaller accomplishments each year, we are planning a bigger celebration. In 2006 we will highlight the results of Workforce 2010 and illustrate how each project has contributed to the stability of our workforce and moving us closer to our vision.
In Summary
What we are Discovering?
The projects under Workforce 2010 are key to moving us towards the vision of a well-trained and stable community rehabilitation workforce. They are also assisting us to understand the other elements that must be put in place to ensure a comprehensive Human Resource Framework.
As we move along in our work it is very important to continually identify and recognize critical areas that need to be addressed for the overall stability of our workforce. Critical areas that require our collective attention in the immediate future are the recruitment and retention of qualified staff as well as securing appropriate levels of compensation.
The graphic below illustrates the initiatives and projects that the Board of the Alberta Association of Rehabilitation Centers has underway to ensure a comprehensive human resource framework is established.
Submitted by
Maureen Murphy-Black, Alberta Association of Rehabilitation Centres ;
Email: maureen@albertarehab.org
Dr. Alex Hillyard, CEO, Northeast Alberta Community Board, Persons with Developmental Disabilities ;
Email: alex.hillyard@gov.ab.ca
Ed Riediger, CEO, Robin Hood Association ;
Email: riediger@robinhoodassoc.com
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