Janine Daniels seemed to be on the road to success. Daniels worked as a psychiatric tech and had recently finished a master’s degree in criminal justice when she was injured at work. The injury left her unable to walk for several months, and she was let go from her job.
“I was told that I needed to just go file for disability,” Daniels said. “After working hard on a degree, sitting at home was not really what I wanted to do. I’m also a mother of five, so a once-a-month check is not ideal. I really wasn’t accepting of all that.”
Daniels said acupuncture helped her get back on her feet, and she began applying for jobs. Then she kept applying and kept applying. With a one-year gap in her resume, she was getting only rejections back.
Then Daniels saw an event on Facebook that she thought could help her – the St. Louis Agency on Training and Employment’s (SLATE) “Workforce Wednesday.” Every Wednesday, SLATE holds interviews at its offices, matching job seekers with companies looking for employees.
Daniels had been selling jewelry to make ends meet, but her water and electricity had been shut off — she just wanted to find a job. Any job. When she met with a SLATE job counselor, that’s what she told him.
“I’m telling him my story, and I’m like, ‘Can you please dumb down my resume?’” Daniels said. “He’s said, ‘Why would you want me to do that?’ And I’m like, ‘Because as soon as people see the resume and they see that I have a master’s degree, they don’t want to hire me. They feel like I’m overqualified.’”
One place, though, was interested in hiring Daniels – SLATE itself. After that initial meeting, and three interviews, she accepted a job as a case manager for Youth Build, an education program for young people ages 16-24 who are aging out of foster care, lack a high school diploma or are otherwise at-risk.
Daniels’ clients participate in a nine-month program that earns them a certificate as either a construction worker or a pharmacy tech, as well as working towards a high school degree or furthering their education in other ways.
Daniels’ case is not atypical. Alice Prince, the executive director of SLATE recently appointed by St. Louis mayor Lyda Krewson, said SLATE sets a positive example for other employers by finding job seekers opportunities in its own office.
Moreover, she said, they treat every client as an individual, providing everything from job opportunities for professionals like Daniels to GED programs.
“We’re not just giving out jobs and opportunity,” Prince said. “We’re also giving out hope.”
Prince is out to transform the culture of SLATE, starting with its new hours. The agency is now open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., both earlier and later than most other parts of city government. The request, Prince said, came from the community, and SLATE responded.
“We don’t operate from nine to five because you can’t save a life between the hours of nine and five,” Prince said.
Prince is both optimistic and enthusiastic about SLATE’s potential. The agency has also embarked on a “Skill Up” challenge, aiming to train and certify 500 people in 100 days. They are on track to graduate 125 people from pre-apprentice programs, 125 from technology skills programs, 125 from healthcare certification programs, 75 people from entrepreneurship programs and 50 people from GED/High School Diploma programs.
“We meet the community where they are,” Prince said.
SLATE is aiming to reach out to as many people as possible – Mondays at the office are English Language Learners Day, followed by Veterans’ Day on Tuesday, Workforce Wednesdays and Double-Dose Thursday for professional-level job seekers.
“There’s not been a true entryway, in a true, aggressive, intentional way, to get unemployed people jobs,” Prince said. “After a while, the unemployment becomes chronic. There’s not been a true, intentional way to develop our workforce.”
But the jobs are there, Prince said. At SLATE, they find jobs for all kinds of applicants, and if job seekers lack the skills, SLATE helps with that too. Prince finds that there are many jobs available even for applicants with felony records, and the agency itself sets an example by hiring people with records. SLATE also helps those with records who want to work in health care apply for good cause waivers that can allow them to pass a background check.
The strongest outreach program SLATE has, Prince said, is word-of-mouth referrals.
“We have street credibility,” Prince said. “People in the community know we are very authentic, and our passion and purpose, it’s real.”
Daniels is an example of that, too. She’s referred many friends and family members to SLATE programs, including her daughter, who lacked direction after dropping out of high school. After Daniels got the job at SLATE, her daughter started attending a job training program.
Daniels was especially thrilled when, after hearing state Representative Bruce Franks speak at a SLATE event, her daughter decided to vote for the first time.
“[SLATE] is like a family,” Daniels said. “Everybody works together. If you came in down, you will not leave that way.”
