National Skills Summit

National Skills Summit
Innovative Initiatives: Retail

Jackson Enterprises, City Of Phoenix Employment and Training Division: Small Business Youth Employment Program

The Challenge:

To enable the retail operations in Phoenix airport train and retain young workers.

The Solution:

Train and place at-risk and ready-to-work youth in jobs where they can learn about retail while simultaneously helping to end the shortage of skilled retail workers by partnering retail business owners with schools, youth programs, and employment agencies.

The Partners:

Jackson Enterprises is a woman and minority owned small business running several merchandise shops and retail franchise operations in the Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport such as TCBY Yogurt, Pretzelmania Pretzels, and Nathan's Famous Hot Dogs.

City of Phoenix, Employment and Training Division, working to improve Phoenix residents' self-sufficiency.

Jobs for Valley Youth, a non-profit organization dedicated to the employment of youth by linking businesses and youth.

Greater Phoenix Leadership, a non-profit board of senior managers and CEOs in the Phoenix metro area that provides guidance to the Jobs for Valley Youth program

City Phoenix Community and Economic Development Department works to improve the quality of life for all Phoenix residents.

The Story:

Bettye Harris-Jackson has opened the world of entrepreneurship to teenagers who would never have had a chance in larger, more institutional training facilities. She hires at-risk youth through these partnerships of businesses and youth organizations to staff her various retail establishments at the airport. Harris-Jackson has hired approximately 150 people in the past six years, and in 1999, Jackson Enterprises merchandising operation had retained 89 percent of its hires.

Prior to job placement, participants must complete a three-hour job readiness workshop teaching them how to complete job applications, conduct interviews, and behave appropriately at work. Additional workshops dealing with customer relations, cash handling and register training, and time management are continually provided at the airport.

The partnership between Phoenix Small Business Stay in School and Small Business Summer Youth Employment Programs enable small business owners like Harris-Jackson to train at risk youths ages 16 to 21 years and expose them to the world of small business management. While the organizations and schools provide means for recruitment, support for the young employees, and willing workers for the understaffed businesses, the businesses provide close adult supervision, a supportive working environment, and training and experience that will help the employees throughout their professional careers.

A Model of Innovation:

The voucher program is a unique way of providing incentives for successful participation to businesses that might otherwise shy away from this type of staffing initiative. An incentive voucher of $500 is provided by the city of Phoenix to small businesses that hire youths who are in school and who subsequently complete 200 hours of employment. Youths can then work another 200 hours, which entitles the business to a maximum voucher payment of $750. To qualify, businesses must employ less than 100 people and have been located in a commercial or industrial area for at least one year.

The mentorship aspect of this program is another key to success. It helps inexperienced employees learn about retail under the guidance of veteran retail professionals while giving managers more confidence to delegate responsibility to these young professionals because they have help and supervision from more experienced workers.

Contacts:

Bettye Harris-Jackson
Jackson Airport Enterprises, Inc.
Terminal 3
Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport
Phoenix, AZ 85034
602-275-3008 (p)
602-494-4221 (f)

Frieda Reed
Phoenix Employment and Training Division
200 West Washington, 19th Floor
Phoenix, AZ 85003
602-262-7758 (p)
602-534-3915 (f)

Highlight Quote:

"The youth are provided with mentorship opportunities that help them to develop valuable work habits and get them through difficult situations," - Betty Harris-Jackson Owner, Jackson Enterprises

What Works: One-Stop Career Centers

One-stop career centers bring employment and training services together in one place to help workers find jobs or get training for new careers. One-stop centers offer:

Career assessment and job search assistance for workers.

Pre-screening of workers who are then referred to employers with jobs. · Information about training and education opportunities and help finding funding to pay for training.

Assistance in filing unemployment insurance claims.