Here are notes about the Talent Acquisition Portal taken during last nights employment forum. Mark Adreon, DSB’s Program and Partnership Development Specialist, shared more detail about the TAP program, (Talent Acquisition Portal). For the first time, employers are seeking to hire people with disabilities and are accountable. First, here is a little background to see how this works for federal, state, and private sector hiring. The Talent Acquisition Portal was developed by national VR agencies. The national employment team consists of two members in every state who coordinate services across state borders. This database was prompted by employer requests. Federal hiring By executive order federal agencies have a goal to meet. Agencies will use the Talent Acquisition Portal to recruit. The Schedule A requirement gives us an edge in the federal hiring process. You can present a letter that certifies you have a disability. The Schedule A letter gives you 5 to 10 points in ranking. To qualify for the Schedule A letter you can request paperwork through a VR agency or doctor. If you have your SSD paperwork, DSB can give you a letter. You don’t have to be a client. You just need to be qualified for the job. State hiring At the state level, our governor has a 5 percent initiative for agencies. Our state will hire about 2,000 people over the next biennium. Agencies are now learning about accessibility and sensitivity issues and using the portal. Private sector hiring The huge opportunities are in the private sector. The 503 revisions have more teeth than the ADA. Federal contractors have a 7 percent goal across all job descriptions. They have to create an affirmative action plan and report numbers. Federal contractors represent 25 percent of workforce. These companies will use the portal. For example, Starbucks is a federal contractor and employs thousands of people in corporate, production, and retail jobs. There are 781 contractors in Washington State alone. The list of contractors is not published. You can google for the big contractors. The Dept. of Labor can actually audit contractor’s numbers. They cannot count contracts with Social Enterprise. They must directly employ. Huge learning curve The Talent Acquisition Portal is online. Every job seeker in the database has disclosed they have a disability. Profiles identify where a person wants to work and what they want to do. This portal was developed and is owned by the VR system. It is accessible. This past year, the database was populated with profiles so it would be ready for employers. Employers pay for the service. A job seeker would be invited by their counselor to fill out the profile and publish. The TAP is not a passive system. A job seeker can go to the portal, go through job descriptions, and even contact the employer about a specific job. Are there loopholes for employers? Now it does not help employers to say they couldn’t find someone qualified. They have to document their outreach effort. The data pushes the effort. Of course, they’ll look at their current workforce to try and claim a disability. However, there is no incentive for a current employee to disclose unless they need an accommodation. The employer can now ask if you have a disability under 503. This is a new requirement! It is now an advantage for someone with a hidden disability to disclose. Be clear, if a job seeker is 60 to 70 percent qualified for a job, they should apply. The rest can be taught. Remember, people will still be competing for jobs. How about job seekers not in DVR programs? They cannot log in. Because of validation needs, it will be a long time before this is opened up to people who are not current clients of DSB. But DSB will help anyone who want to open a case. Right now the system is undergoing changes as problems are encountered. DVR will slowly open up who can invite customers. Then, a vendor will need to be certified and they would be monitored. TAP is a handshake system The employer can’t see your personal info, just your qualifications. Either the employer or the job seeker must consent to make personal info available. Then an applicant will go through their employment process. Then job seekers will deal with employer websites. The portal is part of the reporting system, but the program is a partnership to help employers develop the right culture. TAP is much more than a recruitment service. In Washington State we have 55 state agencies and one account. Because of this bottleneck the system is undergoing changes. Remember that Section 508 only covers federal websites. At the state level, DSB and Cyrus Habib are working to get accessibility part of the software procurement checklist. Retrofitting software and systems doesn’t work. We need a law, not a guideline. DSB’s challenge is to make sure blind people are kept in the mix. The trend is to go for an easier disability. Numbers and measurement will drive action. Timeline? An affirmative action plan doesn’t have to be submitted until the end of the year. Once this action gets in gear, recruiters may come to consumer conventions. Should consumer organizations create mini-job fairs? Yes, but it would need to be a measurable effort. Right now the Xerox Call Center in Federal Way is in the learning curve. Seven DSB clients have made it through the training—three have stayed. Xerox is hiring 50 people a week. If the hiring program works here in Federal Way, Xerox will roll it out nationally. Is the burden still on the new employee to explain accommodation needs? DSB has worked with trainers to familiarize them with Assistive Technology and other accommodations. DSB is also encouraging employers to create an accommodation bank, so budget does not become an issue. Hiring people with disabilities opens up a new market and creates strong brand loyalty. Job seekers should find out how their benefits are affected. DSB has benefits counselors. Going through a benefits check sets the blueprint to get you off benefits. One thing Mark could not stress enough: our job seekers must have excellent Assistive Technology skills to be productive on a new job. User issues have been a problem. Work on skills and go to horrible websites to see what you are up against.
Posted on: Wed, 07 Jan 2015 18:10:48 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015