Helping the long term unemployed
Cresha Redus
We’re Glad You’re Here!
 What you can expect today:
 Learn about how Work Ready Oklahoma
can benefit you and your career
 Get to know our eligibility criteria
 See if you qualify for the great services
our program offers
 Get a professional headshot for your
LinkedIn profile
 Meet with Work Ready staff and learn
next steps
What will you learn?
 Free Work Ready Oklahoma services
 For long-term unemployed and underemployed
individuals
 Made possible by funding from the U.S. Department
of Labor
 Designed to provide educational opportunities,
training and support related to employment in middle
to high-skilled occupations (we will explain what
these occupations are in a few)
What kind of services?
 Training and Education Opportunities
 Targeted skill-building workshops
 Degree or certification programs
 Individualized Assistance
 Individual Career Coach
 Focused career plan
 Wrap-around support
 Job Placement Assistance
 Help with job searching
 Connection to employment opportunities
Long-Term Unemployment Defined:
 The U.S. Department of Labor definitions:
 Long-term unemployed
 Those who have been unemployed for 27 weeks or
more
 Underemployed
 Those who have experienced a job loss 27 weeks
ago or more and are either:
 Working part-time
 Working full-time at a job below their skill,
income or education level
Who can benefit from this program?
 This program may benefit you if:
 You have been unemployed for 5 months or more
 You have been underemployed for 5 months or more
after losing your job
 You want to return to work or advance in your career in:
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Management
Business and Financial Services
Education / Teaching
Architecture and Engineering
IT / Computers
Healthcare
Let’s take a closer look at the
industries served in our program…
Industry: Management
Middle to high-skilled management
positions such as:
 Computer and Information Systems
Managers
 Financial Managers
 Construction Managers
 Administrative Services Managers
Industry: Business and Finance Services
Middle to high-skilled occupations such as:
 Management Analysts
 Financial Analysts
 Accountants and Auditors
Industry: Education / Teaching
Middle to high-skilled occupations such as:
 Secondary School Teachers
 Middle School Teachers
 Elementary School Teachers
Industry: IT / Computers
Middle to high-skilled occupations such as:
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Software Developers
Computer Systems Analysts
Computer Programmers
Database Administrators
Industry: Healthcare
Middle to high-skilled occupations such as:
 Medical and Laboratory Technicians
 Medical and Health Services Managers
 Registered Nurses
Industry: Architecture and Engineering
Middle to high-skilled occupations such as:
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Petroleum Engineers
Mechanical Engineers
Civil Engineers
Industrial Engineers
Now let’s look at program eligibility
criteria…
Who qualifies for this program?
Some general points about eligibility:
 The Department of Labor has given us specific
criteria to determine who is eligible for this
program
 Unfortunately, this means not everyone here will
qualify
Who qualifies for this program?
Some general points about eligibility:
 Some of you may not qualify right now based on
your length of unemployment
 If you qualify, you must provide documentation
to prove eligibility prior to receiving services
 For those who don’t qualify, there are still
resources available that may benefit you
Program Eligibility
To qualify for services through this program,
you must:
 Be 18 years of age or older
 Be legally eligible to work in the U.S.
 Have a high school diploma or equivalent
 Have some post-secondary education or work
experience in one or more of the industries
served by this program
 Be considered long-term unemployed or longterm underemployed
Are you ready to see if you qualify?
1. Find the worksheet labeled “Eligibility Tool” in your folder
2. Raise your hand now if you do not have a worksheet or a
writing utensil
Some notes about the worksheet
 We use this tool to best help you!
 There are no preferred answers - just answer according to
YOUR situation
 Answer honestly - documentation will be required at a
later date to support your answers if you qualify
 Follow along with the presentation for additional
information as you complete
 Raise your hand for assistance, if needed
Question #1: Age
 Are you 18 years or older?
 If you answer yes, supporting documentation may
include:
 Drivers License / State ID
 Passport
 Military ID Card
Question #2: U.S. Worker Status
 Are you legally able to work in the U.S.?
 If you answer yes, supporting documentation may
include:
 Social Security Card
 U.S. Passport
 Permanent Resident Card
 Employment Authorization Document
Question #3: Employment Loss
 There are 6 answer options to describe your
current employment status
 Options a – d: Supporting documentation should
verify that a job loss occurred and may include:
 Letter of termination from your employer
 Unemployment Insurance documentation
 Current and previous job description(s)
Question #3: Employment Loss (continued)
 Option e: We will need to verify (with your
employer) the needed skills or credentials
and advancement opportunities available
 Option f: You may not qualify if there is not a
job loss or risk of job loss
Question #4: Education Level
 What is your highest level of education
completed?
 Supporting documentation may include:
 A copy of your diploma, degree, or credential
 A copy of your transcript
 Option b: includes college education not resulting in a
degree, certifications or licenses relevant to your
industry, or a combination of these
Questions #5 & 6: Industry Expertise
 You will answer the next two questions based on
your education and professional work experience as
it relates to the industries listed
 If you chose High School Diploma or GED as your
highest level of education, then simply choose “No”
on question #5 and move to question #6
Using your worksheet total
We will break into groups as follows:
Total:
Total:
7+
1-6
Group A
Group B
Collaboration Opportunity
Help you find the right personnel:
 Provide information by displaying or distributing
Work Ready Oklahoma (WRO) materials
 Hire WRO program participants
 Utilize WRO for your workforce needs
 Align your services and supports to ours
 Connect people to services at
apply.workreadyoklahoma.com
 Collaborate to provide comprehensive services
to Oklahomans
Any Questions?
Just look for the “Ask Me” name tag!