Ticket to Work
One Stop Employment
Strategy
A Report on the Full Employment’s Council
Ticket to Work Program
By
Gary E. Enyard, Project
Manager/Rehabilitation Coordinator
The Full Employment Council
The Full Employment Council
The Full Employment Council is a business-led,
private, nonprofit corporation whose mission
is to obtain public and private sector
employment for the unemployed and
underemployed residents of the Greater
Kansas City area. The Full Employment
Council also serves as the fiscal agent for the
One Stop Career Centers in the Greater
Kansas City area.
The Full Employment Council
The Full Employment Council accomplishes this
goal by working in collaboration with
business, local units of government,
educational institutions, labor and communitybased organizations. This partnership
responds to employer needs while reducing
unemployment, underemployment and the
public dependency of area residents.
Background
The decision to become an EN (Employment
Network) under the Ticket to Work program
evolved as a natural progression from the Full
Employment Council’s experience as a Work
Incentive Grantee. The Full Employment
Council received a Work Incentive Grant in
October 2000 to improve the capacity of the
One-Stop System to more effectively serve
individuals with disabilities.
Background
The decision to become an EN
(Employment Network) was based on
the fact that the One- Stop system was
serving clients with disabilities under the
Work Incentive Grant. Additionally, it
was noted that the One Stop system
was serving a number of individuals
with disabilities who were receiving
social security benefits.
Background
The Ticket program presented an opportunity to
be reimbursed for services already being
provided to clients under WIA and non-WIA
programming and at the same time afford the
Full Employment Council the opportunity to
access additional funds by targeting Ticket
beneficiaries. Therefore the Full Employment
Council became an EN in January 2003.
Disability Resources
The resource infrastructure for Ticket
beneficiaries established under the Work
Incentive grant was established in
partnership with the Missouri Division of
Vocational Rehabilitation, Rehabilitation
Institute, Jewish Vocational Service,
Helping Hand of Goodwill, Greater
Kansas City Chamber of Commerce, and
the Local Investment Commission.
Resources at the One- Stop
centers include the following:
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physical and program accessibility
placement of Rehabilitation Specialists within each One Stop
center
placement of One Stop Liaison Vocational Rehabilitation
Counselors at each One Stop center
utilization of tools to screen for disabilities, to include specific
learning disabilities
placement of assistant technology equipment within the One
Stop center
Resources at the One- Stop centers
include the following:
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placement of language interpretive services within
each One Stop center
development of a management information system to
track individuals with disabilities
establishment of disability web site through the
Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce
(kchasjobs.com)
continuous cross training of One Stop staff and
partner staff on vocational and disability aspects
establishment of a Rehabilitation Advisory Board
Implementation Challenges
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Inadequate staffing
Lack of disability training
Marketing and outreach
Client Screening
Call volume
WIA benchmarks
Non-WIA Funding
Access to BPAO
Relationships with other organizations
Lack of upfront capital
Medical stability
Current Status
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The Ticket program has been integrated into the One
Stop menu of services
 Ticket beneficiaries are being evaluated for services
 Ticket beneficiaries are being enrolled into WIA and
non-WIA programming
 Ticket beneficiaries are being placed into training
 Ticket beneficiaries are being pre-screened
 Ticket beneficiaries are being referred for placement
Conclusions
The decision to utilize the Ticket program as
an employment strategy within the One Stop
system has been positive in that the strengths
of the One-Stop Centers are classroom
training, on the job training, internships, work
experience and employer contact. These
strengths compare favorably with that of
traditional vocational rehabilitation programs,
which tend to be strong in the area of medical
diagnostic, evaluation and assessment.
Conclusions
The Ticket program has forced the OneStop staff to acquire a level of expertise
in vocational and disability aspects,
which previously they felt no obligation
to acquire.
Conclusions
The establishment of a strong partnership
with Vocational Rehabilitation is crucial
in securing supportive services and
expertise on the accommodations of
certain disabilities.
Conclusions
The Ticket program as an employment
strategy at the Full Employment Council
is a work in progress. There is still a
need for additional staff with training
and experience in the placement of
individuals with disabilities and the need
to identify sufficient funding beyond WIA
funding to serve Ticket beneficiaries.
Conclusions
As the One Stop system gains more
experience, there is every reason to
conclude that utilizing the Ticket to Work
Program as an employment strategy will
turn out to be a prudent and profitable
decision.