Employment and Training Worker II

THE CURRENT VACANCY IS IN THE SHASTA COUNTY

HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES AGENCY - ECONOMIC MOBILITY BRANCH

CALWORKS EMPLOYMENT SERVICES

REDDING LOCATION

ORAL EXAM IS TENTATIVELY SCHEDULED FOR MAY 2024

SKILLS OR EXPERIENCES LISTED UNDER THE IDEAL CANDIDATE

STATEMENT MAY ALSO BE USED TO SCREEN APPLICATIONS

SEE “SPECIAL REQUIREMENT” SECTION REGARDING 

POSSESSION OF A VALID DRIVER’S LICENSE 

RESPONSES TO SUPPLEMENTAL QUESTIONS REQUIRED

FINAL FILING DATE: MAY 13, 2024 AT 5:00 PM

SALARY INFORMATION

$3,905 - $4,984 APPROXIMATE MONTHLY* / $22.53 - $28.75 APPROXIMATE HOURLY*

*Please refer to the appropriate Bargaining Unit Memorandum of Understanding for potential future salary increases* Please visit https://www.shastacounty.gov/personnel/page/labor-agreements-mous.

ABOUT SHASTA COUNTY

Shasta County offers all the amenities of the big city while retaining a comfortable small-town atmosphere. With its natural beauty, affordable housing, excellent educational system, abundance of recreational opportunities, and excellent quality of life, Shasta County is a great place to live, work, and raise a family.

ABOUT THE DEPARTMENT

Health and Human Services Agency

The Shasta County Health and Human Services Agency (HHSA) partners with communities to protect and improve the health and well-being of Shasta County residents. Established in 2006, the HHSA is organized into four branches: Behavioral Health & Social Services, Public Health, Economic Mobility, with a centralized Administration Services. The HHSA promotes optimal health for all. The frail, the abused, the mentally ill and those without resources look to the HHSA for services and resources to meet their basic needs, and to protect their health and safety. This transformation improves efficiency, avoids unnecessary duplication of effort, encourages collaboration among programs and organizes the HHSA’s services to be more responsive to the needs of the public.

The Economic Mobility Branch provides assistance and services to individuals and families in the community.  Through multiple locations in Redding, Anderson, Shasta Lake, Burney and Enterprise the branch provides initial and on-going eligibility determination services for public benefits such as CalFresh, CalWORKs, Healthcare Programs, and WIC.  The branch provides CalWORKs and CalFresh employment preparation and support services, as well as behavioral health and comprehensive perinatal alcohol and drug counseling services.  Recently, the branch also added a new division to consolidate and streamline homeless and housing services within the HHSA and finally, the Economic Mobility Branch also provides referrals for individuals and families to other services within the HHSA and within the community. 

ABOUT THE POSITION

Provides employability services to eligible applicants of the CalWORKs and CalFresh employment and training programs; applies program regulations and procedures; assesses employment potential and barriers that interfere with securing employment; identifies needs for social and health services and makes referrals; uses an automated system to maintain and monitor participants' records and generate reports; may determine the eligibility of applicants and recipients for public assistance programs through interactive interviewing and fact gathering; and performs related work as required.

DISTINGUISHING CHARACTERISTICS

Working under general supervision, Employment & Training Worker II is the journey level in the Employment & Training Worker series. Employees at this level are expected to be fully qualified and able to perform a wide range of employability services. Positions in this class are flexibly staffed and are normally filled by advancement from the lower level of Employment & Training Worker I, or if filled from the outside, require prior related experience. The Employment & Training Worker II differs from the Employment & Training Worker III in that the latter is the advanced journey level and may be assigned lead worker duties.

Supervision Exercised and Received: The Employment & Training Worker II receives supervision from an Employment & Training Supervisor.

IDEAL CANDIDATE

The ideal candidate will have a working knowledge of Redding and the surrounding areas of Shasta County, including the socio-economic conditions, employment opportunities and barriers, and available social and economic resources, including the programs administered by the Economic Mobility Branch. The individual would have experience working with economically disadvantaged individuals especially in the areas of career counseling, vocational guidance, and assessment and identification of employment barriers. The ideal candidate would be organized, self-motivated and able to work independently or as part of a team and would also have initiative and to work efficiently and effectively; work proactively rather than reactively; possess flexibility in working style and be adaptable to change. The ideal candidate will also possess public speaking skills to include experience speaking in front of groups or individuals, leading meetings, facilitating workshops and delivering training. The ideal candidate would also have resume writing and reviewing experience, be detail oriented and have strong writing and proofreading skills.

 EXAMPLES OF ESSENTIAL DUTIES:

Duties may include, but are not limited to, the following. For Employment & Training Worker II, duties are performed at the journey level: Interviews and evaluates eligible program participants' employability to assist participants in achieving economic mobility; interprets Learning Disability Evaluations; assesses clients' employment and education history; identifies employment related skills, abilities, and barriers; develops goals and plans to improve skills and abilities and overcome barriers; provides career guidance and employment and training counseling; provides labor market information related to local employment possibilities; and as appropriate, refers clients to employment related educational and training opportunities; may refer clients to other services such as substance abuse or domestic violence programs as appropriate; conducts orientation workshops for new and returning program participants; reads, comprehends, and applies complex regulations, rules, policies, and procedures; explains relevant program regulations, rules, and policies to clients and the general public; conducts ongoing research to identify employment and training opportunities for program participants; completes and processes disbursement of funds documents for clients' authorized supportive services, i.e., childcare and transportation; operates a personal computer, including software programs and an automated system, to enter and retrieve data, manage individual client cases and overall caseload, compile statistical reports, and perform other assigned duties; maintains regular contact with clients to monitor each client's completion of tasks and progress toward attaining economic mobility and compliance with program requirements; documents evidence of individual clients' non-compliance with program rules and regulations and follows procedures related to the imposition of sanctions; performs a variety of clerical duties related to organizing, prioritizing, and scheduling assignments; meeting deadlines; completing forms, reports and other documents; maintaining automated and manual files and logs; managing client cases; and fulfilling other responsibilities as required; establishes and maintains cooperative, effective working relationships with program participants, department employees, and all others with whom contact is made during the normal course of business; performs related duties as assigned.

 TYPICAL QUALIFICATIONS:

Knowledge of: General goals and purpose of employment preparation and training programs, and public social services programs; effective and appropriate career, vocational, and employment counseling techniques; occupational fields and regional labor market trends for private and public sector employers; services provided within the department or agency that program participants may require and the procedure for referring participants for those services; local and regional socio-economic conditions; characteristics, customs and unique needs of local ethnic/cultural populations; department and community resources available to program participants; computer terminology and computer keyboard arrangement.

Ability to: Apply techniques and methods for conducting successful employment-related interviews, record keeping, and standard office procedures; elicit factual information from prospective and current program participants who may exhibit behavior indicative of those experiencing deprivation and/or emotional difficulties; accurately gather, record, and evaluate data necessary for the implementation of appropriate employment preparation and training programs; prepare reports, forms, plans, and agreements required by program rules, regulations, policies and procedures; use fact-finding techniques and perform in-depth and interactive interviewing; plan and organize caseload to ensure that deadlines and regulations regarding time limits are met; read, understand, apply, and explain complicated and detailed correspondence and reports, regulations, and policy directives; determine appropriate course of action in emergency situations; enter information accurately into a computerized system and navigate effectively through automated multi-screen client record system; identify client problems that require referral to other social or community resources; speak and write in a clear and concise manner, using correct English; read, comprehend, apply, and follow complex rules, regulations, policies, procedures and other written instructions, including the policies, procedures, and programs of the Health and Human Services Department; use tact and diplomacy when communicating with all persons, including those with different socioeconomic and cultural backgrounds; identify and assess program participants' employment barriers and develop individual participant plans; monitor individual participants' compliance with program regulations and when appropriate, implement required sanctions; regularly evaluate individual participants' progress toward meeting established goals; use appropriate methods to motivate and encourage participants and when necessary, to counsel participants who have not met goals or expectations; coach individual participants in how to prepare for a job interview and meet future employers' job performance expectations; present training workshops to groups of program participants; establish, maintain, and manage complex records; establish and maintain cooperative working relationships with co-workers, supervisory and managerial staff, and all others with whom contact is made during the normal course of business; operate office equipment such as a personal computer, (including automated systems and software programs utilized by the department or division), calculator, and photocopier.

These standards are typically attained with either one (1) year of full-time experience comparable to Employment & Training Worker I; OR one (1) year of full-time experience comparable to Eligibility Worker II (see Note below); OR thirty (30) months of full-time experience performing vocational guidance, employment counseling, or placement services AND completion of fifteen (15) semester or twenty-two (22) quarter college units in career planning, vocational guidance principles, personality development, occupational testing & measurement, or counseling preparation; OR three (3) years of full-time experience performing vocational guidance, employment counseling, or placement services; OR a Bachelor's degree in behavioral science (psychology, sociology, social work, counseling, vocational guidance), education, business/public administration or a closely related field, including successful completion of fifteen (15) semester or twenty-two (22) quarter college units in career planning, vocational guidance principles, personality development, occupational testing and measurement, or counseling preparation AND one (1) year of full-time experience performing vocational guidance, employment counseling or placement services.

Note: Applicants with one (1) year of experience as an Eligibility Worker II may qualify as long as experience includes work in eligibility programs having a work component, such as CalWORKs, CalFresh, or General Assistance. This experience must have included performance of employment services activities such as gathering work history information, referrals to employment resources, CalWORKs Diversion services, reviewing program work requirements with applicants or recipients, reviewing the benefits of working on welfare (including Medi-Cal, CMSP, and CalFresh applicants and recipients), referring to or providing supportive services such as child care benefits, determining exemptions from program work requirements, and/or referrals to services related to mental health, domestic violence, and substance abuse. This requirement is not typically met if the eligibility experience is limited to Medi-Cal or Foster Care programs.

SPECIAL REQUIREMENT

Some positions may require possession of special language and culture skills as a bona fide qualifications standard. In these cases, candidates must demonstrate that they possess the required skills. And some positions in this classification may require possession of a valid California driver's license. Employees who drive on County business to carry out job-related duties must possess a valid California driver's license for the class of vehicle driven and meet automobile insurability requirements of the County. Eligibility for employment for those who do not meet this requirement due to disability will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis by the appointing authority.

SUPPLEMENTAL QUESTIONS

Responses to the following must be submitted with a completed application.

Do you have either one (1) year of full-time experience comparable to Employment & Training Worker I; OR one (1) year of full-time experience comparable to an Eligibility Worker II working with CalWORKs, General Assistance or CalFresh programs? If yes, please list your job title and length of time worked in that position. If no, type "n/a."

Do you have full-time experience performing vocational guidance, employment counseling or placement services? If yes, please list the employer, related experience, and length of full-time employment. If no, type "n/a."

Do you possess a bachelor’s degree in behavioral science (psychology, sociology, social work, counseling, vocational guidance), education, business/public administration or a closely related field? If yes, please list the field and completed courses related to career planning, vocational guidance principles, personality development, occupational testing and measurement, or counseling preparation. If no, type “n/a.”

Do you possess a valid California Driver’s License?

PHYSICAL DEMANDS AND WORK ENVIRONMENT

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to sit; use hands to finger, handle, or feel; and talk or hear. The employee frequently is required to reach with hands and arms. The employee is occasionally required to stand; walk; and stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl. The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to ten (10) pounds.

The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is occasionally exposed to outside weather conditions. The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate.

OTHER CONSIDERATIONS

• All new employees are required to have their paycheck directly deposited to a bank account.
• Some positions may require a valid California driver's license and acceptable driving record according to County policy.
• Reasonable accommodations may be made for those persons who are disabled under the Americans with Disabilities Act to perform the essential functions of the position.
• As part of the selection process, all individuals provided with a preliminary offer of employment with Shasta County will be subject to a background investigation, including a criminal history check (primarily completed through the taking of fingerprints). An image of your fingerprints will be captured and sent to the California Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). The resulting report of your conviction history, (if any), will be evaluated along with the other information received in connection with your application. Except as otherwise required by law, a criminal conviction will not necessarily disqualify you from the position. The nature of the offense, the date of the offense, the surrounding circumstances, and the relevance of the offense to the position applied for may, however, be considered.
• Based on the results of the background investigation and criminal history check, applicants may then be provided with an offer of employment conditioned on the results of a medical examination, which includes drug/alcohol testing.
• Shasta County participates in E-Verify. For more information visit https://www.e-verify.gov/sites/default/files/everify/posters/IER_RighttoWorkPoster.pdf. If you do not have internet access, contact Personnel at (530) 225-5515 to request a flyer.
• In accordance with Government Code Section 3100, County employees, in the event of a disaster are considered disaster workers and may be asked to respond accordingly.
• Positions in this classification are covered by a collective bargaining agreement between the County and the United Public Employees of California – General Unit.
• Employees in this classification are covered under the CalPERS retirement program. Depending on the provisions of the California Public Employees’ Pension Reform Act (PEPRA) and other applicable laws, an employee in this classification will be covered under one of the following CalPERS retirement formulas: (1) 2% at 55, (2) 2% at 60, or (3) 2% at 62. An employee in this classification will also contribute up to 9.5% his/her pay to this plan or will contribute such other amount to the plan as authorized by PEPRA and other applicable laws. Please visit our employees benefit page at https://www.shastacounty.gov/personnel/page/employee-benefits for additional information regarding benefits and CalPERS coverage information. The provisions in this flyer and on the County’s website are for information purposes only. To the extent the provisions of the flyer or the County’s website are inconsistent with PEPRA and other applicable laws, PEPRA and other applicable laws shall govern.

 APPLICATION AND SELECTION PROCEDURES:

Shasta County Personnel will accept applications and responses to the supplemental questions until 5:00 p.m., on May 13, 2024. A Resume and/or Cover Letter will be accepted in addition to the application form but will not serve as a substitute for a completed application. It is not acceptable to complete the application with statements such as, “Refer to Resume and/or Cover Letter,” or “See Attached Resume and/or Cover Letter” the employment application must be completed in its entirety prior to submission. Incomplete applications will not be processed. Closing date postmarks or faxes will NOT be accepted. This recruitment will establish a list that may or may not be used by other departments. Prior applicants must reapply to be considered. 

Applicants will be screened and those considered best qualified will be invited to appear for an oral and/or written examination. Meeting the announced requirements does not guarantee inclusion into the selection process. Depending upon the number of applications received, the selection process may consist of additional application screening, written and/or practical exam(s), oral interview, or any combination thereof. 

Veterans' Credit: Veterans (as defined by California Government Code section 18973) who have been discharged from military service under conditions other than dishonorable and who receive a passing score on all components of the employment examinations (up to and including oral examinations) shall receive credit for an additional five points to be added to their final examination score. To be considered for this credit, a veteran MUST provide a copy of his or her discharge document (DD-214 or equivalent) and information as to the type of discharge (honorable, dishonorable, etc.) WITH THE EMPLOYMENT APPLICATION ON OR BEFORE THE FINAL FILING DATE. 

Applicants are encouraged to apply on-line at www.ShastaCountyCareers.com or submit an application to the Shasta County Personnel Office.

Arrangements may be made to accommodate applicants with disabilities. Requests for accommodations may be made to the Shasta County Personnel Office by the filing deadline posted on this bulletin. Shasta County does not discriminate on the basis of disability. If you feel you are being denied service based on a disability, our ADA Coordinator may be reached at (530) 225-5515; relay service (800) 735-2922; fax (530) 225-5345.

Shasta County will consider qualified applicants with a criminal history pursuant to the California Fair Chance Act.  You do not need to disclose your criminal history or participate in a background check until a conditional job offer is made to you.  After making a conditional offer and running a background check, if Shasta County is concerned about a conviction that is directly related to the job, you will be given the chance to explain the circumstances surrounding the conviction, provide mitigating evidence, or challenge the accuracy of the background report.  Find out more about the Fair Chance Act by visiting calcivilrights.ca.gov/fair-chance-act.

SHASTA COUNTY IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER

Shasta County Personnel

1450 Court Street, Suite 348; Redding, CA 96001; (530) 225-5515