Pathways to Public Service
The Challenge
The City of Norfolk has been faced with the challenge of providing quality equal employment opportunities for all individuals. The city recognizes that there are several target groups which may not be afforded the same opportunities to become successful competitors in the emerging workforce. Moreover, the City of Norfolk seeks to make sure that individuals with varying levels of education and experience receive exposure to local government professions.
The city also knows that it is critical to develop local youth and the thousands of high school and college students to successfully respond to the imminent retirement of baby boomers and the disparate unemployment and poverty rates. The city’s objective was to develop a program that would enable these individuals to succeed by exposing them to various aspects of public service, while attracting them to public service careers.
The Solution
To achieve the city’s priority of preparing and inspiring Norfolk youth to become competitors in the emerging workforce, the city created Pathways to Public Service. This city-wide program is designed to remove barriers to public employment and to encourage the application and participation of women, people of color and individuals with disabilities. Pathways to Public Service established a phased, unified strategic plan administered by the Department of Human Resources, which reports directly to the City Manager.
The four-tiered program targets various ages and experiences and provides mentoring and real-world work experience in the public sector. This program is geared to generate interest in public service for many participants, thus creating a viable workforce for the future. Participants acquire hands-on learning experiences, work references and a demonstrated work record through these programs.
The Earn and Learn program began in 2005 for youth between the ages of 15 and 19. The 15-year-old participants attend life and work skills workshops and are guaranteed placement in the employment program the following year. The 16- to19-year-old participants get their first glimpse of city government, as they are placed in various city departments with assignments and projects with tangible outcomes.
The Earn and Learn program allows the participants to build their work portfolios. For example, placement in the Communications Department culminates with participants creating a public service announcement to be used throughout the city. Participants go through an interview process and are awarded slots based on grades, maturity and available openings. They also attend educational sessions on topics such as professional image, community mediation and 7 Habits for Highly Effective People.
The Post High School Apprentice program assists those who are unable to access the training and equipment needed to acquire the commercial drivers license (CDL) needed to become a refuse collector. Pathways to Public Service funds and provides on-the-job training, classroom instruction, testing support and a vehicle for testing purposes.
Participants receive their CDL within six months and are eligible for permanent employment within the City. Five of the ten slots for this program are filled through the City’s Second Chances program, in which non-violent ex-offenders are given the opportunity to gain a marketable skill and secure gainful employment.
Municipal Internships allow college juniors and seniors to secure seven-week paid work assignments in various city departments. One of the longest running Pathways to Public Service programs, these internships have been available for 15 years.
Graduate School Mentorships are offered through a partnership with a premier graduate fellowship program, known as National Urban Fellows. The city recently added graduate fellows to its Pathways program as a means of increasing minority representation at the senior executive level.The Results
The Pathways to Public Service program has been and continues to be a huge success.
The Earn and Learn program was introduced in 2005 with 141 participants. A year later, participation doubled to 289 students. This year, the program attracted over 500 applicants for 318 positions. Twenty of the program’s participants have received permanent positions with the city. The city plans to employ 500 students by the summer of 2011.
The Post High School Second Chance Apprenticeship program has resulted in the permanent hiring of eight employees after only one complete funding cycle.
Municipal Internships have resulted in numerous hires for the city, including the current Assistant Director of Information Technology.
The Graduate School Mentorship program allows fellows to complete three separate three-month rotations in select city departments and receive hands-on monitoring from high level executives. Participants receive the unique opportunity to work alongside both the City Manager and the budget director during development of the annual city budget.
The City
The City of Norfolk is one of 17 localities comprising the Hampton Roads region of southeastern Virginia. Home to the world’s largest naval base and an international airport, Norfolk is the urban center of Hampton Roads and hosts a significant majority of the region’s cultural diversity. Norfolk has an African American population of 44 percent and a growing Hispanic and Asian population. The City of Norfolk provides leadership and direction responsive to the needs and desires of all citizens of Norfolk. Leadership is directed to strengthening Norfolk as the economic and cultural hub of Hampton Roads, to preserving and enhancing the environment setting and assets of the city, and to improving the quality of life and opportunities for the diverse populations living and working in Norfolk.
