[0:07] Welcome to HUDco Radio. I'm Jim Canelli. Anyone paying attention these days

[0:12] understands that the work world is undergoing a revolution. Globalization,

[0:16] automation, the explosion of machine learning, better known as AI, all

[0:21] present significant opportunities and challenges for workers, especially

[0:25] low-skilled workers, and the agencies that support them. here in Hudson

[0:30] County. That agency is our workforce development board.

[0:35] Today, we're joined by the board's new executive director, Sharita Brown, to

[0:39] discuss the role of the Hudson County Workforce Development Board in our

[0:42] fastchanging employment landscape. Executive Director Brown, thank you for

[0:46] joining us. >> Thank you, Jim, for having me.

[0:49] » Let's start with with you. Let's start out with you. Uh you've uh taken on this

[0:53] position in the last year. Tell us a little bit about yourself and uh what

[0:57] attracted you to the job. So, Jim, I'm actually retired from the

[1:04] New Jersey Department of Labor after serving 25 years as a civil servant. I

[1:09] worked with the one-stop um career center basically for the 25 years um in

[1:15] and out as a manager for the last 10 years and then prior to that I was the

[1:21] business service rep for the state of New Jersey but I was assigned to Hudson

[1:27] County first and so here I am. what are the particular challenges our workforce

[1:32] here in Hudson County especially our lower skilled workforce what are the uh

[1:36] what kind of work uh force challenges do they face today? So right now we are

[1:42] looking at the lowerkilled individuals dealing with high cost and living. Of

[1:50] course we know Hudson County is probably one of the highest uh living uh areas in

[1:57] the state. Uh automation, we're dealing with that. And then there's a skills

[2:03] mismatch for local jobs uh with the high cost of living. Um, we are dealing with

[2:10] low wages and so the high cost of housing, the daily expenses in Hudson

[2:16] County, it places a a pressure on lower wage earners and so it's forcing them to

[2:23] work multiple jobs and uh commute long distances. Um in reference to the

[2:30] automation uh there's a a huge skill gap especially with the advancement of

[2:37] technology with uh AI robotics uh these challenges are a lot uh creating jobs

[2:47] that we are not actually ready to uh as far as the the skill sets have not been

[2:55] developed and we're haven't been trained.

[2:59] And so that is creating uh skills roles that are obsolete and uh so we need to

[3:07] increase the digital literacy for our workers.

[3:12] Child care transportation is also an issue for lower skilled workers. They

[3:17] struggle to have reliable transportation to get to jobs and then finding

[3:23] affordable child care. So those are the major uh issues that we're faced with

[3:29] right now. >> Well, let's talk a little bit about how

[3:31] the workforce development board seeks to address these kinds of challenges. What

[3:36] is the role of the board in trying to address some of that?

[3:40] So in reference to the board's challenges or uh addressing those

[3:45] challenges, the board acts as a strategic

[3:51] group uh body that will look at the local labor market information and then

[3:58] coordinate public and private sectors to align with training

[4:03] training job seekers to meet the demands of the employers.

[4:10] Now, what are some of the policies and programs that the board uh will

[4:14] emphasize based on its analysis of the label uh excuse me, the local uh labor

[4:19] market data that you're you're seeing because I know that you I'm correct in

[4:24] this that um the workforce development board engages with um you know like

[4:28] statistical analysis of data and stuff like that. Correct.

[4:30] » Absolutely. Um with that we are looking at the we're pivoting based on the the

[4:38] data that is uh the labor market information that is being given to us.

[4:42] We're pivoting towards the high growth sectors and skill-based pathways. So for

[4:48] us in this region, we're looking at dealing with um increasing the digital

[4:54] literacy again in reference to AI because technology is extremely high

[5:00] here in in Hudson County. Uh the data reveals that a significant digital gap

[5:07] among lowerkilled residents. Uh you know, we're we're trying to increase

[5:12] that. So we are shifting away from the general educational

[5:16] uh certifications that we have normally been um driving everyone to or

[5:22] encouraging individuals to look at and now we're gearing them or encouraging

[5:29] them to take a look at the areas of growth uh here in Hudson County.

[5:36] Another area uh that we're pivoting to is

[5:41] the film industry right now because there is a increase in our region for

[5:50] production houses that are growing. You have here uh in Hudson County, Paramount

[5:57] in Newark, you have Lionsgate, and then soon you'll have Netflix in Mammoth

[6:03] County. Uh so we are already geared up. Uh one of our partners in our system,

[6:11] Hudson County Community College, already has a program that's geared for that and

[6:17] it's the New Jersey Film Academy. So we're looking to increase our presence

[6:23] in the educational uh system. We're we're trying to make

[6:28] that make it match the needs of what's happening in the industry uh in the

[6:35] region and then helping to prepare our job seekers for these new uh job

[6:41] opportunities. >> Now I know you also engage um local uh

[6:45] employers. I mean some of them I think are on the board. I wonder um what the

[6:49] feedback you get from local employers kind of does in terms of informing or

[6:55] shaping board policy. What are you hearing from employers and how does the

[7:00] board you know react to when you know when you get this kind of feedback?

[7:05] Yes, we we do we have um we have a number of employers already on our board

[7:13] and so we listen to them because definitely they are in touch with what's

[7:18] happening in the industries in the various industries and so as not only do

[7:25] we have the our board members but we also have a

[7:30] level of stakeholders within our community that we are working with we

[7:36] have uh direct

[7:40] uh meetings with a lot of the employers to find out and hear what they're

[7:44] looking for in reference to the job seekers. Uh, interesting enough, one of

[7:50] the main comments that we're receiving or we have received is that

[7:57] individuals are lacking the soft skills. And I think because of technology, it's

[8:04] actually not only is it it's advancing, but then

[8:10] the human side that we are normally uh that we would normally put the effort

[8:17] forward, we're losing. >> I see. So you're saying, say, for

[8:20] example, I'm a job seeker. I should walk in, shake hands, look my employer in the

[8:24] eye, and say, it's good to see you today, ma'am, sir. But in a world where

[8:28] everyone's texting or online, those skills are slipping away a bit, you're

[8:32] hearing. Is that true? >> Absolutely. The the communication skills

[8:36] is lacking in reference to the interpersonal as well as even on the you

[8:43] would think on the basic level even with the written communication individuals

[8:49] are constantly abbreviating through text messaging. So even the actual, you know,

[8:57] sentence structure are things that are that are lacking. So when it's time for

[9:02] them to communicate via email, that's that's an issue as well.

[9:07] » Well, let me let me ask you about that to follow up. Um, so how does the board

[9:12] uh with its various, you know, with it various programs, outreach efforts and

[9:16] all partnerships, how do you address something like that? I think everybody

[9:19] across the country, maybe in the world these days, in my own house with my

[9:22] kids, um, we are all struggling with that. So, what's some of the board's

[9:27] approaches or ones that you maybe are in the process of developing to try to help

[9:30] the clients you deal with, the the the workers who need your assistance? What

[9:34] are some of the things you're trying to do to help that or change that?

[9:36] » So, what we do is we will partner up with some of our local

[9:42] training providers in addition to our uh community college. Again,

[9:49] we bring everyone to the table, have the conversation so that everyone is aware

[9:54] and then we provide those types of programs. will implement those types of

[9:59] programs within our training programs themselves. The the complete you know

[10:05] knowing uh including the soft skills because that's that's

[10:12] you know if as we're listening to the employers and they're sharing this

[10:17] information we want to make the adjustment and try to assist because

[10:22] everyone is not receiving the same type of instructions at home.

[10:26] » Oh absolutely. You know, it's interesting when you start to talk about

[10:29] um uh implementing these these concepts. I suppose a lot of folks who are not,

[10:33] you know, directly involved in things like, you know, maybe as business owners

[10:37] or employers might not be familiar with Hudson County's uh um in employment and

[10:43] training one-stop center. Um that's probably where a lot of the where the

[10:47] rubber meets the road in terms of what the workforce development board tries

[10:51] to, you know, you know, bring to these workers we support. I wonder if you

[10:55] could talk a little bit about what the one-stop center is um for employment and

[11:00] training. Um where it is, what it does, and also I suppose who qualifies. I know

[11:04] there's various categories and uh whether it's um you know it could be you

[11:09] know a veteran or it could be a certain age or an income group, but if you could

[11:13] just talk a little bit about how the employment and training onetop serves

[11:17] folks um in Hudson County. >> Absolutely. So, the Hudson County Onetop

[11:23] Career Center is located at 438 Summit Avenue and we in Jersey City. It

[11:30] consists of uh the New Jersey Department of Labor staff with unemployment

[11:37] members. Most people unfortunately find out about the services through the

[11:44] unemployment system. So usually that's the it's a be the best kept secret the

[11:49] system itself but that's usually the entry point where people find us.

[11:56] So you have the unemployment system or unit, you have the employment unit, and

[12:01] then we have our other partners that are uh division of vocational

[12:07] rehabilitation, which supports individuals that may have

[12:13] disabilities or challenges to get back into

[12:18] the workforce environment. We also have a veterans unit. We have a

[12:25] d uh excuse me educational literacy programs as well as the youth

[12:31] specialized programs. So we have uh representation in the onetop with

[12:36] jobcore. We have representation with our youth program with Hudson County School

[12:43] of Technologies. And then we also have representation from human services. uh

[12:50] we have a representative on a weekly basis there to also service our

[12:56] customers as they're coming through if they need other supportive services. Let

[13:01] me ask you, if I'm a client typically, what's going to happen to me if I walk

[13:05] through the door? How how would that how would it how would that how would that

[13:08] experience? I'm sure it depends on my background, but how would intake until I

[13:13] reach hopefully employment go? What would be kind of the broad steps if I

[13:17] was uh someone who was using the onetop center?

[13:20] » So, you would come into the enter in >> right

[13:24] » once you actually they will ask you because we have a

[13:29] triage desk. So they'll ask you what you're here for.

[13:32] A lot of times people they may think one issue but then find out that there's

[13:39] multiple issues. So the first step would be to complete a registration form. Once

[13:44] they complete that registration form then they would see a employment

[13:49] counselor. Once they see the employment counselor then that person would then

[13:54] help to find out and assess what their needs are.

[14:00] If there is any additional weak needs that they may have that they are not

[14:05] aware of by we we will give them an assessment through the assessment then

[14:12] we'll find out exactly where we need to actually send them. So there may be an

[14:18] issue with literacy. Then that person may then be referred to

[14:24] one of our vendors or training partners to for basic skills. They'll be tested

[14:32] for that. Then they would be referred. Maybe that person is looking to get into

[14:39] a specialized training program. Again, all of this there's an assessment

[14:45] attached. Then they're referred to an actual training provider. They actually

[14:50] what happens is they're given multiple choices based on their preference. And

[14:56] let's say for instance, if they're looking for accounting, the case manager

[15:02] or employment counselor would assess where they're going to go and then give

[15:09] them the options of maybe three to choose because it's really customer

[15:15] preference as to where they're going. Once they make that selection, then the

[15:21] process as far as training would then begin for them. Now as far as financial

[15:27] responsibility which is key

[15:31] if the individuals are collecting unemployment usually unemployment will

[15:37] help to provide that that would qualify them to receive training. If the person

[15:45] is not collecting unemployment, we still have funding available because

[15:50] that person may just need to upgrade their skills to be more marketable in

[15:56] their profession or a new profession. And then there's another opportunity for

[16:02] those individuals who are on Work First New Jersey receiving TANNIF or SNAP

[16:08] benefits. There's another training opportunity for those individuals as

[16:12] well. And again, this is all through the system and we're all working together.

[16:18] So once that person has been identified where they want to go, that's what the

[16:24] the training process would look like. >> And this dates and this kind of all this

[16:28] kind of flows out of what happened in the 1990s where there was a connection

[16:31] between welfare, unemployment benefits, and then moving you to being able to be

[16:36] career or job ready. Is that the idea? Essentially, that's the that's that

[16:40] that's what's really happening in and the good thing I suppose for our

[16:43] listeners to understand if they know someone who might be in need of these

[16:46] services is they're government services. So, they're free to anyone who walks

[16:49] through the door essentially. Is that correct?

[16:51] » Correct. >> Okay. Let's talk a little bit about um

[16:54] uh how you measure the effectiveness of the board's efforts. Now, as executive

[16:58] director, you know, you ultimately, I suppose, are sort of the person who has

[17:02] to see how things are, you know, are working. And I know obviously um it's

[17:08] always a work in progress because the challenges that we've talked about have

[17:11] changed but I wonder is it as simple as kind of looking at the unemployment data

[17:17] or in terms of kind of the core internal data that you guys develop when you are

[17:22] looking at x number of clients went through the door x number of clients

[17:26] have found employment over during the period say you know I know it's a

[17:30] fiveyear period for example with welfare benefits um what are kind of the ways

[17:35] you measure measure your own success when you have to then go back to the

[17:38] state or the federal government and say this is working this isn't.

[17:41] » So our effectiveness is measured through a combination of federal performances

[17:48] um indicators and that the data is driven by. Um for us we measure uh the

[17:56] job driven system which requires a combination of our residents and the

[18:05] the businesses. So for our major programs it's the federal WEOA

[18:13] performance indicators. uh that is the uh and wea stands for

[18:18] workforce in innovation and opportunity act. So, we're held accountable based on

[18:25] the outcomes that our participants are going through, the the the programs that

[18:32] they're going through, and we have to negotiate

[18:37] that with the New Jersey Department of Labor annually based on, you know, our

[18:43] what what we're seeing in our area versus what the state may may have. So,

[18:51] we're looking at the employment rate, which is the percentage of participants

[18:56] employed in uh the second and third and fourth quarters. Uh after exiting a

[19:04] program, uh we're looking at the median earnings, which is usually the middle

[19:09] range income participants will receive after they have gained

[19:15] employment. Uh another criteria or indicator would be uh the credential

[19:21] that they attained. Uh we look at the rate at which the participants earn

[19:25] industry valued degrees or certificates during and after their training. And

[19:31] then basically the last portion of that would be the real- time tracking of the

[19:38] credential and then employment that would be led to um you know after

[19:45] completing that we also have a monitoring and evaluation portion for

[19:51] each program. So we look at that and we will do that on a quarterly basis um

[19:58] reviewing what's what the uh reviewing what the data is showing us uh

[20:06] for each program. We also will pilot programs and we'll look at the metrics

[20:12] of that to show us whether or not we should

[20:16] continue in this area or not. So those are usually the the um the major uh

[20:25] measuring um you know methods. But then the last is human metrics. We get the

[20:31] feedback from our participants letting us know

[20:38] what they valued in the training program, getting their feedback. And

[20:43] what we will be implementing is a report card to indicate and show whether or not

[20:51] this training was valuable to them. And they will have a a direct way to

[20:58] communicate with us and let us know that it was valuable, it wasn't. um what

[21:04] could be better and not not only to in increase our uh working relationship

[21:11] with our training partners, but then we would also want to make improvements.

[21:17] And so that's what our biggest, you know, is that human metrics that we're

[21:22] we're looking to uh really build to find out what people are experiencing and to

[21:29] make the system better. >> Yeah. Because I suppose at the end of

[21:32] the day, if no one's making widgets anymore, you can't send people out to be

[21:36] widget makers. So, you've got to yeartoyear kind of see what where things

[21:40] are at and move forward that way. I wanted to talk with you a little bit

[21:43] about um the idea why a board overseeing all this. Um you have um a number of

[21:50] members on the board. Um I wonder if you could talk a little bit about what

[21:54] having a board and I know having you know visited uh the website for the

[21:59] workforce development board for Hudson County. It has a interesting mix of um

[22:04] business um uh governmental officials who all obviously bring different

[22:09] expertise. Could you talk a little bit about the value of the board um the

[22:15] members that you have within it? Um I know there's a bunch of committees if

[22:18] those committees have any uh significance you want to talk about but

[22:21] but what is the value I suppose of having a commu kind of a a group

[22:25] overseeing this approach versus Jay you just just say yourself as as one

[22:30] official. >> So the board itself we are and what I

[22:38] didn't mention is that there are 17 workforce development boards in the

[22:42] state of New Jersey. So we're one of 17. We're all governed by the New Jersey

[22:48] Department of Labor and the US Department of Labor.

[22:53] So there is we have a total of 20 board members

[23:00] » on our board >> on our board on on the Hudson County uh

[23:04] workforce development board. We have 20 members. We have uh 12 in the private

[23:09] industry. We have uh one that's community-based organization. We have

[23:17] two that are organized labor members. We have two education um institution

[23:23] members. And then we have uh three government partners. The NJ I'm sorry,

[23:31] the New Jersey Department of Labor uh partners are automatically a part of our

[23:36] board, but they are not voting members of our board. So we would have

[23:40] representation from uh the onetop in reference to

[23:48] New Jersey Department of Labor uh the employment services as well as

[23:53] unemployment and then the division of vocational rehabilitation

[23:58] with that the board itself um of course it's you know it comp it's

[24:05] comprised of all of these members and We as as a board we have the goal and

[24:13] mission to oversee the operations and the policies that are

[24:20] being set for our system as a whole. So everything that's happening at the

[24:26] onetop, what's happening in reference to training, what's happening in reference

[24:31] to working with employers, all of this is actually being devised by our board.

[24:38] Having these members uh very diverse group. We we have business individuals

[24:44] who have multiple businesses. We have individuals who are uh you know uh

[24:50] banking uh representative, HR representatives,

[24:55] lawyers, realators. We have a a very diverse group of dynamic

[25:03] members who help to shape all of this, the policies, the overseeing the

[25:07] operations and everything that I do is being supported by the work that they do

[25:15] as volunteers because all of them are volunteering to

[25:21] be on the board. They are selected by our county executive.

[25:27] So these individuals we know are committed to making our system better,

[25:33] helping giving back to our community to make things better for people that are

[25:40] less fortunate in um to empower, you know, our youth. uh the dis individuals

[25:51] who are having disadvantages in life and so it's it's been a a pleasure working

[25:58] with this particular board and they're very excited about doing the work.

[26:04] » Yeah. No, it seems as though you would want uh if you were involved with

[26:08] organized labor or if you were involved with uh wanting to just build a stronger

[26:13] workforce if you're an employer, you're going to want to do what you can if

[26:16] you're interested in this community to help shape how workers are, you know,

[26:22] trained or retrained or more able to be effective workers be because of the

[26:26] various stresses that may possibly already be on them. So, that makes a lot

[26:29] of sense, I suppose, right? And I guess you break these um folks down into

[26:33] various subcommittees and things like that that are kind of their areas of

[26:37] expertise and all. Is that the idea? >> So what we It's interesting because the

[26:43] committee So we have we have actually seven committees. It it may have been

[26:50] one that was missing on our website. We have to add. But we have um our

[26:56] executive committee, we have our finance committee. Those two committees are

[27:00] actually the same members. Our executive committee uh team,

[27:07] they're making the overall, you know, uh decisions in reference to uh how the the

[27:16] in in certain directions we we need to go. They'll steer and then they'll also

[27:22] then bring back information to the entire board. So we and I particularly

[27:29] lean on the executive committee and um and they serve both roles um on our

[27:35] finance committee as well. Now the other committees what we did was we wanted to

[27:41] find out because every committee is actually head by a board a voting board

[27:48] member and what we wanted to do is find out where their interest was. So it

[27:55] wasn't so much that they were in that particular industry or

[28:01] they wanted to we we requested of them to let us know where they would like to

[28:08] serve. >> So I could run an accounting firm but I

[28:11] might be concerned about what's going on in the future of youth services and then

[28:14] I end up on that committee. Is that the idea?

[28:16] » Absolutely. So we have the one-stop partners committee. uh with that

[28:21] committee we provide they provide the oversight and guidance in the

[28:26] development of programs that are established and the matrix that are

[28:30] established for the onetop uh hoping and and the goal would be to help the onetop

[28:37] meet and exceed the standards that are being placed on them. uh the disability

[28:43] committee. Uh that committee works to enable individuals with disabilities to

[28:49] have universal access to employment opportunities. And with one of those

[28:55] part with this particular committee, we do have

[29:00] groups or agencies that are that specialize. That's their area of

[29:07] specialty. But the individual that's actually heading that is actually in our

[29:13] is in the health care industry. Uh so uh literacy committee uh we in that

[29:21] particular committee it identifies and analyzes uh local resources programs and

[29:26] services to recommend how to improve the quantity and quality and delivery of

[29:33] literacy programs. Now that particular committee is head by one of the members

[29:39] who does lead one of our

[29:45] uh literacy programs here and we really needed someone to be in that area of

[29:52] expertise because of the nature of it. Uh the youth investment council

[29:57] committee that's definitely speaks for itself. our youth

[30:03] programs. Uh it strengthens the capacity of the education and the youth

[30:09] development and training programs that are being offered in our system.

[30:14] We have a heavy enrollment of youth programs. We have members from our

[30:22] Hudson County School of Technology. We have members from the Job CPS.

[30:30] We also have the New Jersey youth build and then we also have New Jersey youth

[30:37] corps. So that is a that that particular committee does uh have and represent um

[30:44] members that are truly in the industry because of the nature of it. But then we

[30:50] also have members that are just you know interested in working with the youth.

[30:56] And then our last committee is a business committee and with that again

[31:02] trying to speak to the business in uh community making sure that we are not

[31:08] missing the mark and we have their voice you know uh being represented and then

[31:16] we can speak to that and bring that to back to the board. So each committee

[31:20] they have their own meeting times. Anyone can join. So other individuals

[31:28] but again a member of the board has has to actually head the committee and does

[31:36] head the committee and but is others that are participating

[31:42] they're welcome to join. So it's essentially on a volunteer basis and it

[31:46] doesn't rise to the level of say of an appointment from the county executive

[31:49] the way a membership on the larger workforce development board would.

[31:53] » Absolutely. >> Well, one final question for you. How uh

[31:56] can residents or maybe employers or maybe folks just interested in the issue

[32:00] of workforce development, how can they learn more uh about or how to access

[32:05] your services um how can they reach you? >> So our website Jim is ww.

[32:14] H cjc Wdb.org

[32:19] and again www.h for Hudson, C for county, J for Jersey

[32:27] and C for city, W for workforce, D for development, B for board.org.

[32:35] hcjcwdb.org.

[32:39] We're located at One Journal Square Plaza, third floor, sweet 303, Jersey

[32:45] City. And our email is info@hwdb.org.

[32:52] Again, info@hwdb.org

[32:57] and our telephone number is 551-235-4200.

[33:03] Again, 551-2354200.

[33:08] Thank you so much for all that information. Sharita Brown, executive

[33:11] director of the Hudson County Workforce Development Board. Thanks again so much

[33:15] for joining us. >> Thank you so much for having me.

[33:18] » To keep up to date on county government news and alerts, be sure to follow us on

[33:22] Twitter at HUDCO tweet and on Facebook at HUDCOF FB. To see photos and videos

[33:27] of county government events, follow us on Instagram at Hudco Insta or subscribe

[33:32] to our YouTube channel, Hudco TV. You can find Hudco Radio and hopefully

[33:37] subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. Thanks as always to Hudson

[33:41] County Executive Craig Guy and the Board of County Commissioners who sponsor,

[33:46] support, and direct all the programs and services discussed on this podcast. Take

[33:51] care.

HudCoRadio: How The Workforce Development Board Works

Transcript