OCASI PD Conference 2010

The Common Assessment Process (CAP):

Connecting Immigrant and Employment Needs

~ Sergio Chuy & Carol Stewart ~

Employment Sector Council

of London-Middlesex

Presentation Outline

• Introduction to the ESCLM

• The Common Assessment Process (CAP)

• The Employability Dimensions: A Case Study

• The CAP Steps

• CAP for job seeker clients

• CAP for career development practitioners

• CAP for the community

• Diverse applications of the CAP training model

• Applicability of CAP for Immigrant Sector

• Questions?

Employment Sector Council –

London/Middlesex (ESCLM)

Vision Statement: “A dynamic service delivery

system that provides opportunity for all people to

meet the changing labour market needs in our

community”

Mandate: “to promote „best practices‟ for the

employment and training sector”

40+ members comprising nonprofit and public

employment service delivery, community and

economic development, labour, education, training,

and government organizations

ESCLM: Promoting Best Practices

• Service Delivery Standards

• Information Sharing Agreements

Principles for the Protection of Personal

Information

• Shared technology platforms

Promoting Best Practices, cont.

The Common Assessment Process (CAP):

A standardized means for exploring a

client‟s situation to identify needs for

assistance and develop a plan to link the

client to community resources that can

help to meet those needs.

CAP has been used by the ESCLM network

since 1996.

CAP: A Systems Overview

Objectives:

• Client-centred approach

• “No Wrong Door”

• Community employment resource

information

• Best client referrals

The CAP practitioner community: over 500

people trained from 45 agencies

1. In your groups, please take a few

minutes to read Zeinab‟s case study

2. Based on what you have learned about

her, suggest what you think Zeinab‟s

most important needs are (3-5 needs Max)

3. Rank these in terms of priority

Zeinab worked for 11 years in Iraq, doing admin and accounts for a busy

medical practice, also computer repair work as needed

She enjoyed this and would like to do something similar in Canada, but she

doesn‟t know what qualifications are needed. She would consider returning to

education, but not now as she can‟t afford it and finding a job is a priority

If she can‟t do that, she‟s interested in learning about other careers. She

enjoys being with children and always thought she would be a great teacher or

children‟s nurse. She almost applied to train as a nurse, but her parents talked

her out of it because they felt that business would be a better career with more

family-friendly hours

Zeinab says she doesn‟t really care what she does as long as she can get a job

quickly. Maybe in retail or as a receptionist, or in a hotel as a housekeeper

She has a bachelor‟s degree in business administration and was working on a

Microsoft certification in computer networks and troubleshooting

Zeinab worked for 11 years in Iraq, doing admin and accounts for a busy medical practice,

also computer repair work as needed

She has a bachelor‟s degree in business administration and was working on a Microsoft

certification in computer networks and troubleshooting

Zeinab says that she is very organised and able to multi-task. She is used to greeting

people at the front desk at the same time as answering the telephone and directing calls,

and she has a really good memory for information. She is proud of her ability to look calm

and unflustered while balancing multiple priorities

Zeinab has excellent oral communication skills. She often wrote letters and took minutes,

sometimes in English as one of the doctors corresponded with a doctor at a British

hospital

She is very comfortable with computers, but all the software she used was in Arabic, even

when she typed in English

She doesn‟t know what skills she might need here. She saw OHIP billing on one job

posting for a medical office assistant. She does not know what that is

Zeinab has three children, and is highly organised around household maintenance and

organising activities. She volunteered at her oldest child‟s school in Basra, helping with

outings and activities

Zeinab had a full driving licence in Iraq, but in Canada has only G1 licence and no car

Zeinab has never had a job in Canada. She left her last job, in Iraq, three years

ago

Zeinab brought a resume to her appointment. It is in the format acceptable in

Iraq, six pages long and with a large „personal information‟ section at the top,

including date of birth, religion, marital status, children‟s ages, parents‟

occupations - and a photograph

Zeinab has never had to look for work. She found her job in Iraq through a

friend of her husband‟s. She has never had a job interview and doesn‟t know

how to prepare for one

She has been in Canada for four months and so far knows no-one other than

her Ontario Works caseworker, a couple of neighbours, her oldest child‟s

teacher and some people at the mosque

Zeinab has excellent computer and internet skills, and has been looking up job

websites - so far, she knows about Monster, Workopolis and Job Bank and a

couple of other sites. She has a computer and internet access at home

She is reliant on bus transportation

Zeinab has not researched local employers and has no idea how to do that

Zeinab worked for 11 years as a medical office administrator in Iraq

Zeinab has never had a job in Canada. She left her last job, in Iraq, three years

ago because at the time she had two children, the youngest of which was one

year old and had just been diagnosed as hearing-impaired

She is now a single parent with three children, aged 7, 4 and six months. The

oldest is in school, but she is still trying to find a kindergarten place for the four-

year-old and she has no daycare for the baby

Although Zeinab has driven all her adult life, she has only a G1 licence in

Canada and no car. She is currently reliant on the bus

Zeinab is new to London - she has been here four months - and doesn‟t know

the city very well

Zeinab is not able to supply references from her previous employer in Iraq, as

the building was destroyed in a mortar attack and she doesn‟t know where her

employers went - she thinks at least one of them was killed and another fled the

country

She believes that she was very good at her last job and can give examples of

managers, co-workers and patients praising her. But she feels she is out of

practice and less well-qualified than other job-seekers

She used to live in Basra, Iraq, and had a very nice home with a good standard

of living. She came to Canada as a refugee four months ago

Her husband was killed by a car-bomb six months ago

Zeinab has three children, aged 7, 4 and six months. The seven-year-old saw his

father die. The four-year-old is hearing-impaired. Sometimes, Zeinab feels

completely overwhelmed with all of her responsibilities

Zeinab wants a job so that she can start to feel normal again, but her children

come first

Although she has managed to get her oldest child into school, she hasn‟t yet

found a kindergarten place for her middle child or daycare for the youngest

Zeinab and her family are living on the 12th floor of an apartment building. Her

neighbours have complained about cooking smells and the baby crying

Her Ontario Works caseworker insists that she make every effort to find entry-

level employment or her cheque might be suspended

Zeinab is worried that no employer will hire her because she hasn‟t worked for

three years and she has no Canadian experience

CAP: The Employability

Dimensions

Now that you have heard all the pieces of

Zeinab‟s situation, has your thinking

changed about what she should do?

CAP: The Employability

Dimensions

All information must be gathered or you can

“misdiagnose” or solve the wrong

problem or solve the wrong problem at

the wrong time.

Assessments will be incomplete, if not

wrong.

CAP: The Employability

Dimensions

1. Personal and Environmental

2. Job/Work Objectives

3. Skills and Requirements

4. Job Search Skills

5. Employment Maintenance

Which of these reflects your Zeinab case?

(See handouts and your “Cheat Sheets)

CAP: The Employability

Dimensions

1. Please take out your envelopes

2. Briefly share your client concerns with

your individual group

3. Within which Employability Dimension(s)

do these concerns fit?

4. Each group shares 1-2 concerns with

larger group

CAP: The Steps

1. Establish collaborative relationship

2. Define consumer context

3. Explore current career/vocational expectations

4. Identify and assess job specific skills and

qualifications

5. Assess readiness to seek and maintain

employment

6. Synthesis of information and formulation of

options

7. Establish Action Plan

8. Follow-up

CAP Training for Career

Development Practitioners

• All new CDPs in London & Middlesex undergo

two-day training in CAP

• Flexibility built in for diversity of CDP groups

• Reflects current labour market contexts and

employment programs

• By the community for the community: facilitators

all experienced CDPs

• Two days‟ intensive training & assessment before

facilitator certification. Ongoing PD

CAP: Benefits for Clients

• Process emphasizes respect and

relationship-building

• Clients only have to tell their „story‟ once,

regardless of where they enter the system or

the number of agencies they visit

• „Pick and mix‟ approach to obtain the best

„menu‟ for clients‟ particular situation

• Return -to-work Action Plan recognized

across network

• Same language and process used across

agencies

CAP: Benefits for Career

Development Practitioners

• Connection to and relationships with other

community agency staff; increased trust

• Reassurance that clients will get to the

appropriate service and will receive high quality

service at other agencies

• Reduced duplication of work

• Facilitated case management

• Sharing best practices and information

CAP: Benefits for the

London-Middlesex Community

• Emphasis on client-centred service

• More coordinated, professional approach

• Ease of movement of clients across system

• Trust, partnerships, cooperation between

agencies

• Ability to share program and labour market

information efficiently across network

• Knowledge about range of services available

in the community

Training for Other Employment

Sector Stakeholders

• Immigrant and Settlement Sector

• Action Centres (for company closures)

• Employment Resource Centre Staff

• Support Staff

• Executive Directors and Management

• Aboriginal Communities

Best Practices and

Lessons Learned

• Client-centred approach

• Community partnerships and planning

• Making best use of resources in the community;

avoiding duplication of services

• Information-sharing and resource-pooling

• Effective case management

• Flexibility and adaptability

• By the community for the community

• Career Development Practitioner supports

CAP: Applicable for

Immigrant and

Settlement Sector?

Your opinions of the value of the CAP

Process for your sector?

How can we improve information-gathering,

information-sharing, and referrals across

the community?

Questions?