The strength of the one-stop career center system is its basic premise that workforce development services can be integrated in one place for easy access to customers, and delivered as efficiently and as streamlined as a business would.
Underlying that operational premise of a business model is the idea that data-informed decisions lead to the highest quality of service and the best labor market outcomes.
Universal Access
Universal access offers anyone the use of resource room services - and indeed a whole range of self-services and informational services, such as the receipt of career, training provider and labor market information.
Resource rooms and one-stops - or American Job Centers (AJCs) - also make accessibility a priority for customers, including making accommodations for individuals with disabilities.
Business services representatives are available to provide prompt assistance to businesses and hiring employers as well, including assistance with posting detailed job vacancies in the public labor exchange system, writing job descriptions, referring and screening applicants, hosting job fairs, etc.
Quality Customer Service
Outstanding customer service entails the mix of customer-centered approaches, and efficient customer flow through self-services to staff-assisted services through intake and assessment for eligibility to be enrolled in a workforce program for further services, when customers need the additional assistance.
The Opening Doors for Everyone toolkit and presentation teaches about strengths-based assessments - for both customers and their coaches.
This is key to ensuring the positive outcomes for all customers in the one-stop system, as well as those customers workforce professionals are outreaching and communicating with outside of the one-stop center.
Hallmarks of Excellence
Universal access and quality customer service ensure that the three main hallmarks of excellence in the workforce system remain solid.
- The needs of businesses and workers drive workforce solutions, and local boards are accountable to communities in which they are located. See Guiding the Way with Labor Market Data and Business Intelligence and Data Sources on Workers with Disabilities.
- One-Stop Centers (or American Job Centers) provide excellent customer service to all jobseekers and employers, and focus on continuous improvement. See Labor Market Data Sources for Targeting Services to Special Populations and the Roadmap for Navigating the CareerOneStop Suite of Career Tools.
- The workforce system supports strong regional economies, and plays an active role in community and workforce development. See Economic Development Blueprint: Information to Support Community Planning and Fine-Tuning Your Strategic Planning Using Labor Market Analysis and Informed Decision-Making.
