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The Vermont study details employer responses to a two-phase survey designed to gauge employer receptivity to the use of wage subsidies in the private sector. The "mail survey" obtained from a sample of 1,084 employers (of whom 71% responded) elicited responses to a limited number of questions, while the "face-to-face survey" asked a much greater number of more in-depth questions of a sample of 269 employers (of whose responses 249 were useable). The study details conditions under which employers would be willing to participate in a wage subsidy program (worker characteristics, job characteristics, subsidy characteristics, post-subsidy commitments, administrative considerations, training concerns, and supportive service concerns), characteristics of firms willing to participate (types, sizes, and occupational makeup), and judgmental aspects of wage subsidy programs (bidding process effectiveness, internal labor market considerations, competitive advantage, and net increase in jobs). Survey data are displayed in 36 tables and the survey instruments are appended. (Author/JR)

The report describes a Vermont project begun in 1970 and designed to assess the long term value of the Special Work Project (SWP), or Public Service Employment, as a vehicle for providing transitional employment to unemployed members of low income families with children receiving public aid. The study attempted to contact and interview the 609 participants who had completed or terminated Special Work Training prior to June, 1973, in order to determine their employment status and public aid recipient status at 9, 12. 18, 24, and 30 months subsequent to SWP. At each follow-through contact, completers were significantly more likely to be employed than were terminators (69% of completers versus 44 percent of terminators). Among all 486 trainees located and interviewed, there was a significant decrease in persons receiving public assistance, from 58 percent to 32 percent, between the time of entry into SWP training and the follow-through contact nine months subsequent to training. The study also describes hourly wage experience over time, types of employment, characteristics of trainees, and trainees' perception of project value. Twenty-two detailed tables are included, and additional project data is appended. (Author/JR)

This report deals with the absorptive capacity of Vermont's private and public sectors to accommodate welfare clients into gainful employment. Detailed attention is given to estimating the immediate and projected job vacancies in the state. When seeking these jobs, the client must not only compete against other unemployed persons, but also has to overcome his personal, emotional, and physical problems which have hitherto served as a barrier to employment. (Included are 16 appendixes, a 13-page bibliography, and a list of figures and tables.) (Author)

The Vermont Experimental and Demonstration Manpower Pilot Project placed low income unemployed individuals in wage subsidized job slots in public and nonprofit agencies, anticipating that the work experience and related job skills gained would enable them to acquire nonsubsidized employment. A quantitative analysis is presented of 196 Special Work clients confronted with the problems of private transportation. Although sincere efforts were made to combat each individual transportation problem (Training Related Expense monies for repairs, car pools, etc.), it was found that the severe lack of public transportation and poor condition of private vehicles were in many cases the prime factors for clients terminating training. Several suggested solutions are presented. (Also included is a list of tables.) (Author)

This report describes on a first-hand basis the role played by the "coach" in the Vermont Experimental and Demonstration Manpower Pilot Project. The paraprofessional coach, or "employment service aide," acts as a client advocate who helps the client adjust to a work environment. As one part of a three member employability team, the coach's duties begin after the client has been accepted for placement in a Special Work training situation. Constant communication is maintained until the client's barriers to employability are overcome. Responsibilities of the coach vary from acquainting the program enrollee with simulated interviews, to helping resolve family friction which may hinder the individual's effectiveness. Described here is a case study of one man who was helped to overcome physical and emotional handicaps so he might qualify for a desired job. A day-by-day narration chronicles the coach's experience with this unique situation. (Also included is a one-item bibliography.) (Author)

The most difficult problem in the financial management of a program of Public Service Employment (or subsidized work-training experience) is the over-obligation of funds. Some training slots are never filled, some trainees drop out early from the program, and others complete their training early. All of these factors "free" funds which must be promptly identified if they are to be put to alternative uses. The best way to avoid this problem is to use a detailed and flexible working budget which is kept up to date by timely and systematic comparison between actual and projected expenditures. The central office should use actual rather than anticipated outlays as a means of controlling costs. Realistic allowance should also be made for delays in employer billings. (Included are 12 appendixes, a glossary, lists of tables and illustrations.) (Author)

The necessity of having funds which meet client related and additional educational needs are presented in this two-part monograph. The first part is comprised of a comprehensive discussion of Training Related Expenses and analysis of their uses and effects on client completion or termination from training. The second part describes the function and utilization of Enrichment Training. Conclusions drawn from both parts were that these funds were valuable tools and had real and positive impact on the success of clients requiring this type of help. (Also included is one appendix.) (Author)

Necessary required efforts are discussed which effect Special Work Project (SWP) clients through their transition from subsidized to nonsubsidized work. These ranged from personal counseling to day care services, and it was found that supportive services helped reduce barriers to employment. Enrichment funds were allocated for teaching basic education and job related skills, and Training Related Expense monies were used for all other money solvable barriers. (Also included are six appendixes.) (Author)

The ensuing report is a counselor's first hand account of her experience with Vermont's Manpower Pilot Project on Public Service Employment. This statewide project was designed to test temporary subsidized employment in nonprofit agencies for low income clients. The report describes and refers to many case studies, specifically those who entered the program because they were liable for the support of children and also had no or low income. Although the program originally was committed toward helping "hard-core unemployables," emphasis was shifted to those who evidenced fewer, less severe barriers to employment. Clients were placed in subsidized employment for 6 months, with the exceptation that their work experience would lead to permanent, nonsubsidized employment. The counselor devoted her energies to help the client overcome his major barriers to employment, such as: transportation, child care, and job attitude. (Also included are 11 appendixes and a two-item bibliography.) (Author)

From a comparative economic viewpoint, does regular employment secured through temporary subsidized Special Work training afford the publicly supported individual any marginal advantage over his welfare status? A study of 279 Aid to Needy Families with Children (ANFC) recipients was conducted to address this question. The median annual dollar value of tax-free welfare payments in Vermont was $4,075. When added with Medicaid and food stamp bonuses, this is equivalent to $4,465 taxable income for the family unit here. Given the median $2.26 hourly wage realized by program enrollees, male ANFC clients experienced an economic disincentive to work. Females improved their welfare status modestly when allowed certain income disregards. Real income rose sharply for the study group only during Special Work training. When a graduated welfare support schedule was combined with a subsidized wage program, per capita income rose to $6,793. Otherwise, there was no real financial incentive to leave the welfare status. (Also included is an appendix of financial disincentives interviews.) (Author)

This report compares Vermont's experience with two federally funded programs aimed at reducing unemployment. The first was a Special Work Project (SWP) directed toward providing work experience rather than skill training for welfare recipients, and also for low-income families. A second approach was through the Public Employment Program (PEP). This latter program was created to subsidize jobs for the temporarily unemployed when the general U. S. economy could not absorb these people. Eligibility and wage subsidization for each program differed. The SWP program was oriented toward the working poor and those with multiple nonjob related personal problems. Participants in PEP were usually the recently unemployed. Each program could underwrite up to 90 percent of the client's salary. Subsidized wages paid for each PEP slot averaged $7,000 annually, while $4,000 was spent under SWP. (Also included are four appendixes, a list of 20 tables, and a seven-item bibliography.) (Author)

Public Service Employment slots can be developed in three ways: (1) by establishing a pool of jobs into which trainees can be placed; (2) by developing individualized slots for each trainee; (3) by combining the pool and individualized approaches. In terms of administrative and cost efficiency, there is little difference between the pool and the individualized approach. The pool approach has several drawbacks from the employer's standpoint: some slots may be unfilled for long periods of time; some slots may be negotiated with the business manager, leaving the supervisor somewhat in the dark until the trainees are on the job and ready for his supervision. In terms of client outcomes, those in individualized slots are more likely to complete training, but there is no significant difference between the two groups in the rate of permanent placement. The best method of slot development is probably "individualized placement" within a pool of slots. (Included also are a list of tables and illustrations.) (Author)

Trainees in a Public Service Employment program may find work training as paraprofessional aides in manpower agencies, social services, and human services. The work experience is valuable for the trainees. However, the actual structure of their training needs close attention. Supervisors are likely to rate the effectiveness of on-the-job training highly, while trainees give at least equal credit to the "common sense" which they bring with them to the job. Also, there may be little consistency in the training experience of different trainees. One answer to this problem is for employers to be more flexible in accepting the practical experience and "common sense" of the trainees as a substitute for more formal requirements, while at the same time formalizing the necessary on-the-job training into a regular curriculum. Transferability and placement prospects for trainees in paraprofessional slots are limited, especially in view of the tight job market. (Also included is a 22-item bibliography and a list of tables.) (Author)

In a Public Service Employment program of subsidized work training, nonprofit employers in the areas of health, education, social services, and government can be evaluated in terms of the client's employability growth, wages, supervision, retention, transferability, and client satisfaction. Client employability increases in all four areas of employment, though slowly for classroom and day care aides. Wage levels are in the $2.00 to $2.40 range; they are highest for municipal employees, lowest for paraprofessional aides, with clericals in the middle. Clients seem generally satisfied with their jobs and with the supervision in all four areas. Retention is especially high in health, higher education, and government owing to large payroll, high turnover, wide job variety, reliable budgeting, and favorable employer attitude toward the program. Retention is low for classroom and day care aides because there are few openings and little turnover. A tight job market restricts transferability. (Also included is a three-item bibliography and a list of tables.) (Author)

This report describes Vermont's experience with a program to upgrade the working poor and thus increase their total family income. Upgrading refers to enhancing one's job skills which ultimately will lead to increased earnings within one's given occupation. Employer cooperation was encouraged through use of on-site job facilities where supervised upgrading could be effected. Potential upgrading trainees who met income eligibility standards for entry into the program were not easily located without income benefit provisions. Those who did were usually employed in seasonal occupations. Additionally, the geographic dispersement of Vermont's industries mitigated against economies of scale for this program. Emphasis was shifted toward potential secondary wage earners among the rural poor. "Cottage crafts" such as spinning and weaving were taught to the family spouse as an income supplement. Professional craftsmen and local businessmen were recruited to foster the program. (Also included are 12 appendixes, and lists of illustrations and tables.) (Author)