Prepared for the DiscoverAbility NJ "Learning at Work" work-based learning symposium on November 3

1. www.njchamber.com
Speaker:
Donna Custard
Vice President
New Jersey
Chamber of Commerce
Foundation
Dana Egreczky
Senior Vice President
Workforce Development
President
New Jersey Chamber of
Commerce Foundation
Overview
of a
Partnership

2. www.njchamber.com
Speaker:
Donna Custard
Vice President
New Jersey
Chamber of Commerce
Foundation
Dana Egreczky
Senior Vice President
Workforce Development
President
New Jersey Chamber of
Commerce Foundation
Background
 New Jersey Chamber of Commerce
 Represents business community.
 Board of 70+ CEOs, presidents of
state’s most prestigious large and small
companies.
 Consistently among top three issues
(state/national):
 Lack of qualified workforce
 NJ Chamber established the
Chamber Foundation
 Mission: Workforce

3. www.njchamber.com
Speaker:
Donna Custard
Vice President
New Jersey
Chamber of Commerce
Foundation
Dana Egreczky
Senior Vice President
Workforce Development
President
New Jersey Chamber of
Commerce Foundation
NJCC Foundation
Three areas of interest:
 Nursing Shortage
 Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
New Jersey Nursing Initiative.
 Workforce pipeline: K-12
schools.
 LearnDoEarn – curriculum that
speaks to students and results in
improved performance.
 Employment opportunities for
qualified people with disabilities.
 Will define later.

4. www.njchamber.com
Speaker:
Donna Custard
Vice President
New Jersey
Chamber of Commerce
Foundation
Dana Egreczky
Senior Vice President
Workforce Development
President
New Jersey Chamber of
Commerce Foundation
Biz Status
 New Jersey
 Once ranked in 24th
place on best
places to do business lists
 Now hovers at 49th
 C-suite survey of members indicated
that over 93% do not plan to move out
of the state
 Reason: New Jersey has the workforce
they need

5. www.njchamber.com
Speaker:
Donna Custard
Vice President
New Jersey
Chamber of Commerce
Foundation
Dana Egreczky
Senior Vice President
Workforce Development
President
New Jersey Chamber of
Commerce Foundation
Better with Age?
 But what workforce?
 The BABY BOOMERS!
 Most educated generation ever produced.
 When retired, average national salary will
drop by 15%
 Heavy impact on tax base and therefore
impact on school budgets, social services,
etc.
 Most educated workers ever are retiring just
at point when fewer skilled workers are being
produced
 Technology makes the entire world every
child’s competition

6. www.njchamber.com
Speaker:
Donna Custard
Vice President
New Jersey
Chamber of Commerce
Foundation
Dana Egreczky
Senior Vice President
Workforce Development
President
New Jersey Chamber of
Commerce Foundation
Changing Skills
 Why is this happening?
 Technology eliminates low skill jobs.
 Toll takers replaced by?
 Telephone operators replaced by?
 Bank tellers replaced by?
 Receptionists replaced by?
 High-skill jobs at risk as well.
 Doctors replaced by?
 Engineers (95% in Asia)
 Technology makes every person in the
world competitors in access to college
and available jobs.

7. www.njchamber.com
Speaker:
Donna Custard
Vice President
New Jersey
Chamber of Commerce
Foundation
Dana Egreczky
Senior Vice President
Workforce Development
President
New Jersey Chamber of
Commerce Foundation
Even Now
 Only 20% of employers will hire individuals
with only high school diplomas.
 Over 84% of jobs available in next decade
will require college degree.
 Over 90% of fastest growing jobs will be
middle skills jobs requiring REAL high school
diploma and industry certification or
Associate’s Degree.
 Minimum ticket to middle class – annual
salary of $40,000 for family of four.
 Gateway to non-remedial county college
course work is Algebra I.

8. www.njchamber.com
Speaker:
Donna Custard
Vice President
New Jersey
Chamber of Commerce
Foundation
Dana Egreczky
Senior Vice President
Workforce Development
President
New Jersey Chamber of
Commerce Foundation

9. www.njchamber.com
Speaker:
Donna Custard
Vice President
New Jersey
Chamber of Commerce
Foundation
Dana Egreczky
Senior Vice President
Workforce Development
President
New Jersey Chamber of
Commerce Foundation
Other Countries
 In 2005, over 70,000 American
students participated in the
Westinghouse Science Fair.
 In that same year . . .
0ver 6,000,000 Chinese students
participated in the same event.

10. www.njchamber.com
Speaker:
Donna Custard
Vice President
New Jersey
Chamber of Commerce
Foundation
Dana Egreczky
Senior Vice President
Workforce Development
President
New Jersey Chamber of
Commerce Foundation
Workforce Impact
 Utility company needed to fill dozens of
linespersons jobs.
 $40-50,000 per year with benefits,
internal promotion, tuition plan, with
overtime up to $60,000 - $80,000
per year.
 Conducted five job fairs across New
Jersey in urban areas.

11. www.njchamber.com
Speaker:
Donna Custard
Vice President
New Jersey
Chamber of Commerce
Foundation
Dana Egreczky
Senior Vice President
Workforce Development
President
New Jersey Chamber of
Commerce Foundation
One Company
 Educational requirement: high school
diploma.
 First gateway to job – high school
diploma . . harvested 550 recent high
school graduates.
 Second gateway to job . . . .
Aptitude test math at the seventh
grade level.
 Results:

12. www.njchamber.com
Speaker:
Donna Custard
Vice President
New Jersey
Chamber of Commerce
Foundation
Dana Egreczky
Senior Vice President
Workforce Development
President
New Jersey Chamber of
Commerce Foundation
One Company
 50% of applicants (275) – all high
school graduates – could not pass
seventh grade math test.
 Third gateway to job:
 Standard employment checks:
 Drug Test
 Criminal Background
 Credit Check
 Reference Check
 Result . . .

13. www.njchamber.com
Speaker:
Donna Custard
Vice President
New Jersey
Chamber of Commerce
Foundation
Dana Egreczky
Senior Vice President
Workforce Development
President
New Jersey Chamber of
Commerce Foundation
One Company
 Of the original 550 applicants,
only TWO were admitted to
apprenticeship program.

14. www.njchamber.com
Speaker:
Donna Custard
Vice President
New Jersey
Chamber of Commerce
Foundation
Dana Egreczky
Senior Vice President
Workforce Development
President
New Jersey Chamber of
Commerce Foundation
Impact on PWD
 Highest drop-out rates in high school.
 Confront amazing challenges in
accessing higher education.
 Unemployment rates average 9.5% in
recession.
 3% people with college degrees
 19% people with no college
 PWD historically have highest
unemployment rates.

15. www.njchamber.com
Speaker:
Donna Custard
Vice President
New Jersey
Chamber of Commerce
Foundation
Dana Egreczky
Senior Vice President
Workforce Development
President
New Jersey Chamber of
Commerce Foundation
What We Can Do
 Alert young PWD that education counts more
than they think.
 Make sure all PWD – and their families and
service providers – understand that production
trumps disability every time.
 Bring every person to capacity so those with
limitations can receive the support they need
 Workers = taxpayers
 High-wage workers = More taxes
 Stop expecting business to hire for soft
reasons: adapt or die.
 Completely change the approach to business
in its relationship to PWD.

16. www.njchamber.com
Speaker:
Donna Custard
Vice President
New Jersey
Chamber of Commerce
Foundation
Dana Egreczky
Senior Vice President
Workforce Development
President
New Jersey Chamber of
Commerce Foundation
NJCC Foundation Did
 Used these exact principles to develop a set
of programs and activities that would help
prepare more PWD for the workforce.

17. www.njchamber.com
Speaker:
Donna Custard
Vice President
New Jersey
Chamber of Commerce
Foundation
Dana Egreczky
Senior Vice President
Workforce Development
President
New Jersey Chamber of
Commerce Foundation
NJBLN
 Business Leadership Network
 Established in 2006 with funding from
Kessler Foundation
 Sanctioned affiliate of USBLN
 Employer-led
 Mission:
 Address the business imperative of
including people with disabilities in the
workforce
 Promote positive employment outcomes
for people with disabilities

18. www.njchamber.com
Speaker:
Donna Custard
Vice President
New Jersey
Chamber of Commerce
Foundation
Dana Egreczky
Senior Vice President
Workforce Development
President
New Jersey Chamber of
Commerce Foundation
Inaugural Decisions
 Established leadership committee
 Differ from other BLNs across country (50+)
by focusing on programs, not membership
 Also differ by focusing on skills of candidates
rather than employer interest in hiring

19. www.njchamber.com
Speaker:
Donna Custard
Vice President
New Jersey
Chamber of Commerce
Foundation
Dana Egreczky
Senior Vice President
Workforce Development
President
New Jersey Chamber of
Commerce Foundation
Original Scope of Work
 Provided public relations support for
Disability Mentoring Day
(significant increase in business participation)
 Established online job board:
www.AccessibleEmployment.org
 Career webinars for students in middle
and high school featuring people with
disabilities
 SKILLSFirst Conference

20. www.njchamber.com
Speaker:
Donna Custard
Vice President
New Jersey
Chamber of Commerce
Foundation
Dana Egreczky
Senior Vice President
Workforce Development
President
New Jersey Chamber of
Commerce Foundation
Current Scope of Work
 Provides foundation for partnership with DDS
 Promote Disability Supplier Diversity
Program
 Promote Disabilities At Work
 Increase skill levels of people with
disabilities

21. www.njchamber.com
Speaker:
Donna Custard
Vice President
New Jersey
Chamber of Commerce
Foundation
Dana Egreczky
Senior Vice President
Workforce Development
President
New Jersey Chamber of
Commerce Foundation
DSDP
 Promote Disability Supplier Diversity Program
(DSDP)
 Program of USBLN
 Process leading to national credential
certifying that a business is ‘disabled-
owned’
 Enables corporate strategy of diversifying
supplier chain

22. www.njchamber.com
Speaker:
Donna Custard
Vice President
New Jersey
Chamber of Commerce
Foundation
Dana Egreczky
Senior Vice President
Workforce Development
President
New Jersey Chamber of
Commerce Foundation
NJBLN Role in DSDP
 Recruit disabled-owned businesses into
process
 Status: 2 businesses completed
application and awaiting site visits; 3
others in hopper
 Recruit and train volunteers for mandatory
site visits to applicant businesses
 Help successful applicants be ‘ready for
prime time’
 Promote use of credential among
businesses in state

23. www.njchamber.com
Speaker:
Donna Custard
Vice President
New Jersey
Chamber of Commerce
Foundation
Dana Egreczky
Senior Vice President
Workforce Development
President
New Jersey Chamber of
Commerce Foundation
Disabilities At Work
 Effort to identify and reward businesses
that go ‘beyond compliance’ in hiring
practice and/or support people with
disabilities in other ways
 Encourage consumers to patronize
businesses that have earned the right to
display the DAW logo on wall plaques,
windows, websites
 People with disabilities control over
$200 billion dollars in disposable
income

24. www.njchamber.com
Speaker:
Donna Custard
Vice President
New Jersey
Chamber of Commerce
Foundation
Dana Egreczky
Senior Vice President
Workforce Development
President
New Jersey Chamber of
Commerce Foundation

25. www.njchamber.com
Speaker:
Donna Custard
Vice President
New Jersey
Chamber of Commerce
Foundation
Dana Egreczky
Senior Vice President
Workforce Development
President
New Jersey Chamber of
Commerce Foundation
DAW Radio
 VoiceAmerica Business Channel – Live
Internet Talk Radio
 Live on April 14, 2010
 Promote the DAW mission – feature
business that support people with
disabilities
 Include areas of broad interest to
people with disabilities, their families,
their employers.
 Show sponsorships available

26. www.njchamber.com
Speaker:
Donna Custard
Vice President
New Jersey
Chamber of Commerce
Foundation
Dana Egreczky
Senior Vice President
Workforce Development
President
New Jersey Chamber of
Commerce Foundation
Third Component
 Least defined
 Focus on skill levels
 Glaring incongruity between available jobs and
skill levels most pronounced among people with
disabilities
 Exacerbated by lack of understanding of
demands of workplace

27. www.njchamber.com
Speaker:
Donna Custard
Vice President
New Jersey
Chamber of Commerce
Foundation
Dana Egreczky
Senior Vice President
Workforce Development
President
New Jersey Chamber of
Commerce Foundation
Build Understanding
 High School teacher who tells her special
needs students that they don’t have to work
as hard as other students and will never
have to worry about getting a job because
companies want to hire people with
disabilities

28. www.njchamber.com
Speaker:
Donna Custard
Vice President
New Jersey
Chamber of Commerce
Foundation
Dana Egreczky
Senior Vice President
Workforce Development
President
New Jersey Chamber of
Commerce Foundation
Build Understanding
 Service provider who announced that she tells
her clients to lie on their resumes
(number two reason for termination)
 Statements from multiple human resource
individuals saying that people with disabilities
come to interviews under-prepared and under-
dressed

29. www.njchamber.com
Speaker:
Donna Custard
Vice President
New Jersey
Chamber of Commerce
Foundation
Dana Egreczky
Senior Vice President
Workforce Development
President
New Jersey Chamber of
Commerce Foundation
Build Understanding
 Employer stated that she hired 13 people
with disabilities but wound up with 39
service providers on site every week who
took all parking spaces
 Chamber survey that indicated that 94 of
100 business people did not know where
to start in the system to find qualified
people with disabilities
(six cited Department of Veteran Affairs)