The partnership with Ryla Teleservices, the Kennasaw GA based call-center, was the accomplishment of a program goal at New Hope Enterprises, a non-profit agency which helps people who are unemployed or underemployed to become self-sufficient. The model used was based on Tonya Hughes’ master’s degree final project. “It was designed to assist women re-entering the workforce after incarceration and I wanted the outcome to providing sector specific training utilizing an industry recognized certification, so that the women could earn a good living with skills that were actually in demand in today’s business environment,” Tonya said.
The partnership with Ryla Teleservices was designed to be a solution where everyone benefits both for the call center and for the program itself. “I wanted the opportunity to allow placement of program participants into living wage jobs and provide Ryla with trained, skilled, and motivated employees. I was delighted when Ryla agreed to pay all of the overhead costs for the training class and donated $30,000 to the organization, in the form of a grant.”
Tonya Hughes, Executive Program Director
The program model I designed was structured to provide both soft- and hard-skills training. The soft skills training included: (1) attitudinal training, (2) job readiness training, (3) career development, (4) introduction to computers, (5) customer service, (6) civics, and a (7) speaker series.
The hard skills training included a 16-week full time program for the Microsoft Office Specialist (MOS) certificate. The certification offers training to master: Word, PowerPoint, Excel, Outlook, and Windows. The MOS certificate was one of three training certification tracks. The model provides training for individuals who are hard to employ and offers an opportunity for them to explore additional training and career options while earning a living wage.
We asked existing non-profits and social service agencies that are currently working with our target population to collaborate with us to identify candidates for our pilot program. In June 2010, there were fifty-two referrals to the pilot program, 37 or 71% were present for the information session. Twenty three (23) participants attended the first day of class; twenty one (21) graduated from the program, or 91% of those that began class on the first day of week one. All participants were placed with a direct employer or a term assignment through a partner agency within 30 days. After completing the pilot program in June 2010 and applying lessons learned we improved the direct placement rate by meeting all employer requirements as part of the initial intake process.
In 2011 New Hope’s partnership with Ryla Teleservices allowed the company to broaden its job candidate pool, improve job candidate quality through skills training and internship methodology while at the same time providing support and hope for at-risk Atlanta communities. In particular, Ryla viewed New Hopes’ focus on attitudinal training coupled with its extensive front-end vetting process as highly promising to supporting future hiring and retention goals. There were four cohorts in 2011 a combination of healthcare and Microsoft certification. We exceeded an 80% placement rate within 30 days for all cohorts combined.
Watch full video interview below.
Contact Tonya Hughes via LinkedIn or her Career WebFolio.
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