Nevada employment agency offer events ahead of program to help long term unemployed
Submitted by editor on Thu, 11/12/2015 - 1:28pm
The Nevada Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation will hold a business lunch, discussion and orientation in Reno this month to officially launch Platform to Employment, a nationally recognized program addressing the specific needs of long-term unemployed workers.
The Nov. 19 two-part event will include remarks by invited business leaders, DETR officials and P2E executives. An overview of the P2E program goals and expectations will also be provided. The event starts at noon and will be held in the office of KNPB, 1670 N. Virginia Street in Reno.
P2E is specifically for individuals who have been unemployed 27 or more weeks or have exhausted their unemployment benefits, said Renee Olson, administrator for DETR’s Employment Security Division. Nevada currently has about 30,000 long term unemployed. In October 2014, P2E ran a pilot class in Las Vegas where 75 percent of graduates were able to successfully return to work. In Reno, where the program launched in February, 81 percent of the graduates returned to work.
“Many Nevadans have found it difficult to return to work in the wake of the Great Recession. The Employment Security Division recognized this need and has worked diligently to find innovative ways to serve this population,” said Renee Olson, administrator for DETR’s Employment Security Division. “Some jobseekers need greater support in honing their skills to become prepared for the workplace. P2E is designed to give them that help. ”
Nevada was among 32 states to be awarded a grant from the U.S. Department of Labor to assist Nevada’s long-term unemployed jobseekers in re-entering the workforce, Olson said. The grant totaling $1,830,497 was awarded through the Job-Driven National Emergency Grant program.

DETR is partnering with The WorkPlace, southwestern Connecticut’s regional Workforce Development Board, to bring P2E to Reno. P2E offers individuals a five- week preparatory program, including skills assessment, career readiness workshops, employee assistance programs, coaching and more. After completing the program, P2E assists participants in finding employment.
Placements are made on a trial basis, and are paid for by the program. The expectation is a fulltime job will result, if the employer is satisfied with the performance of the candidate, Olson said. P2E subsidizes the wages of the job candidate for up to eight weeks, providing employers a risk-free opportunity to evaluate the candidate and determine if a good match exists.
P2E is a proven model that demonstrates that the right job readiness programming, combined with personal and family support services and financial counseling, can return the long-term unemployed to the workforce. Tested in multiple cohorts, including participants from urban and suburban communities, P2E has placed 80 percent of program participants into work experience programs, with nearly 90 percent of these individuals moving on to full-time employment, said Joseph Carbone, President and CEO of The WorkPlace.
“Platform to Employment provides the tools and resources needed to return the long-term unemployed to work,” Carbone said. “The program provides hope and opportunity for workers that are frequently overlooked when hiring, and we look forward to continuing work in Reno.”
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