• Organizations Sought to Administer Construction Pre-Apprenticeship Program
• Listen to JOTF Minimum Wage Debate Online!
• JOTF's Larry Schugam to Take Position with Curriculum Project


OTHER NEWS

• Increased Attention to Security May Marginalize Ex-offenders
• Day Laborers Suffer Employer Abuses
• Maryland's Prevailing Wage Office To Remain Open


UPCOMING EVENTS

•CFWD to Host "Rising of the Son" Benefit (8/8/05)
•Maryland NonProfits to Hold Annual Conference (11/1/05)

• Maryland Budget and Tax Policy Institute Seeks Director
• The Society for Progressive Supranuclear Palsy Seeks Office Manager
• United Ministries, Inc. - Earl's Place Seeks Caseworker
• Open Society Institute-Baltimore Seeks Part-time Program Assistant
• Prison Fellowship Seeks CFO
• Catholic Charities Seeks Placement Manager
• Healthcare for the Homeless Seeks Community Relations Associate
• GHCC Offers Summer ESOL Classes
• After School Funding Available
• MOED Offers Training for Clinical Environmental Service Worker Positions

Organizations Sought to Administer Construction Pre-Apprenticeship Program
JOTF is pleased to announce the release of a Request for Qualifications to administer a pre-apprenticeship program in the building and construction trades in Baltimore.  Employment and training providers are invited to submit applications to be part of this exciting new initiative.  Deadline: August 10, 2005.

The full RFQ is available at http://www.jotf.org/resources/RFQ-preapp.doc (MS Word format).  The deadline to apply is August 10, 2005. For more information, send e-mail to pre-app@jotf.org or call (410) 234-8931.

Background
Construction is booming in Baltimore.  Demand for skilled workers is strong and increasing.  Yet many local Baltimore city residents are unable to obtain high paying jobs in the building and construction industry.  Many of the best jobs within the industry such as electrician, plumber, and carpenter require individuals to complete a multi-year apprenticeship.  Competition for admittance into an apprenticeship program is severe and many low-income residents – those most in need of a high paying job – are unable to get into such a program on their own, most often failing due to limited math proficiency, poor performance in the interview for admission or lack of work experience. 
 
These gaps will be bridged by a pre-apprenticeship training program that will help low-income residents gain entry into construction apprenticeship programs and eventually high-paying jobs.  Although this is a citywide effort, emphasis will be placed on East Baltimore, where many residents need job placement assistance and where major re-development projects will soon be under way.  
 
A strong partnership between two organizations is required to successfully implement the program: 
1) A Training Provider to provide instruction to increase participants’ skills improving their opportunity to be accepted into an apprenticeship program; and
2) A local Workforce Development Service Provider to provide case management and related services to address barriers to program participation and job entry.

Listen to JOTF Minimum Wage Debate Online!
Sparks flew on June 22, when JOTF hosted a lively debate on the minimum wage that featured two of the country's top economists. Jared Bernstein of the liberal Economic Policy Institute argued that an increase in the minimum wage is necessary to even the economic playing field for low-wage workers. Tim Kaneof the The Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank, countered that raising the minimum wage would hurt the American economy.

Decide for yourself: listen to an online audio recording of the debate in its entirely. (Requires free Real Player.)

In addition to Dr. Bernstein and Dr. Kane, JOTF wishes to sincerely thank WYPR's Anthony McCarthy for deftly moderating the debate; and the Jacob France Institute, for generously providing space.

JOTF's Larry Schugam to Take Position at Curriculum Project
JOTF congratulates Larry Schugam on his new position with the Baltimore Curriculum Project, a nonprofit organization that develops curricula, crafts lesson plans, and offers technical assistance to the Baltimore City Public Schools System. Larry began working at JOTF as an intern/program assistant in 2004, while pursuing a master's degree in Social Work at the University of Maryland. During his tenure with us, Larry has conducted research on public benefits and ex-offender issues; assisted in the implementation of our public policy work; represented JOTF on the Maryland Alliance for the Poor; managed the website; and co-edited our monthly JOTF newsletters.

While we will miss him at JOTF, we wish Larry all the best as he starts a new chapter in his professional life. Good luck, Larry!

Increased Attention to Security May Marginalize Ex-offenders
A June 10th article in the Maryland Daily Record explores how criminal background checks are increasingly becoming a regular part of doing business among employers. Increased attention to security may limit employment opportunities for ex-offenders. JOTF board member Pamela Paulk, Vice President of Human Resources with Johns Hopkins Hospital and Health System, eloquently makes the case that automatically screening out job applicants who have criminal history records is not necessarily a healthy business practice.

Read "Trust no one: Criminal background checks becoming standard practice"

Day Laborers Suffer Employer Abuses
A recent study by the Center for the Study of Urban Poverty at the University of California, Los Angeles, examines the issues surrounding day laborers in the Washington, D.C area, including Baltimore. The study, In Pursuit of the American Dream: Day Labor in the Greater Washington D.C. Region, finds that day laborers experience abuses in pay, abandonment at worksites, and even violence at the hands of their employers.

Read In Pursuit of the American Dream (PDF file)

Maryland's Prevailing Wage Office To Remain Open
The Baltimore Sun writes that based on a 1997 law, Governor Ehrlich has abandoned plans to close the Prevailing Wage Office. The office receives on average 170 calls a day, resulting in 120 claims a month. Former staff members report that approximately 60 percent of claimants have legitimate claims and receive awards.

Read "In reversal, governor to maintain wage office"

Maryland Nonprofits To Hold Annual Conference (11/1/05)
Maryland Nonprofits will hold it's 13th Annual Conference, "Raise the Voice!", on November 1, 2005 from 8 am - 4 pm at the Bethesda North Marriott Hotel and Conference Center, 5701 Marinelli Road North Bethesda, MD 20852. For moreinformation visit http://www.marylandnonprofits.org/.

Back to Top

Maryland Budget and Tax Policy Institute Seeks Director
The Maryland Budget and Tax Policy Institute seeks a director to manage all aspects of the ongoing operation of the Institute. For more information click here or email hbogdan@mdnonprofit.org.

United Ministries, Inc. - Earl's Place Seeks Caseworker
United Ministries, Inc. - Earl's Place is seeking a Caseworker (Social Worker) to work with homeless men in a transitional housing program setting. For more information email: uincorpo@mdo.net

The Open Society Institute-Baltimore Seeks Part-time Program Assistant
The Open Society Institute-Baltimore seeks a graduate student to fill a paid part-time program assistant position to provide general program assistance to the Director of the Community Fellowships and Initiatives Program. For more information, visit OSI-Baltimore at www.soros.org/baltimore.

Catholic Charities Seeks Placement Manager
Catholic Charities is seeking a Placement Manager to cultivate employer relationships and provide placement assistance to program participants in various Catholic Charities Employment Programs. Apply on line or send cover letter with resume to: Catholic Charities Workforce Development, Attn Molly Nash (www.mnash@cc-md.org), 19 W. Franklin Street, Baltimore, MD 21201 Fax No. 410-659-0642 www.cc-md.org

Healthcare for the Homeless Seeks Community Relations Associate
Health Care for the Homeless (HCH) has an immediate opening for a Community Relations Associate.  This individual will work as a member of the External Affairs team to ensure effective representation of HCH in the community, to respond to community complaints and concerns, to overcome barriers to public benefits including state and federal disability assistance, to involve clients and staff in education and advocacy activities, and to advance the advocacy agenda of HCH.

Resume/letter of inquiry due to Von Bradshaw by Friday, July 29, 2005 (bradshaw@hchmd.org or c/o Health Care for the Homeless, 111 Park Avenue, Baltimore, MD  21201).  For more information, contact 410/837-5533 x332. 

GHCC Offers Summer ESOL Classes
Registration for the Greater Homewood Adult Literacy and ESOL Program ESOL classes will take place at 3501 North Charles Street (lower level of the University Baptist Church) on July 8th from 10:00 am to 12:00 pm.  Students need to register and take a short test to enroll. For more information, please contact the Adult Literacy & ESOL Program at 410-261-3524.

MOED Offers Training for Clinical Environmental Service Worker Positions

The Mayor's Office of Employment Development will offer training for 10 Clinical Environmental Service Worker positions. This will include four weeks of training at MCAT and a four week paid internship at Johns Hopkins Hospital. For more information contact Rosemary Woren, Sr. Program Development Specialist, at 410-396-9035.