New Start Career Network

long-term unemployed

older job seekers

Older Workers

New Jersey

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New Start Career Network Helped Over Six Thousand Long-term Unemployed New Jerseyans Find Help and Hope

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English

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In a final report detailing the impact of the New Start Career Network (NSCN), a six-year partnership to provide thousands of long-term unemployed New Jerseyans with free one-on-one and group coaching and a range of services to rebuild shattered careers and lost confidence, the Heldrich Center shows the innovative, privately funded program delivered numerous positive outcomes. The Heldrich Center reports that long-term unemployed members were very satisfied with the program, with 9 in 10 saying they would recommend NSCN to a friend according to surveys of members:*

Most members agree that NSCN improved their job search strategies, interview skills, networking, résumés, and social media skills. They also reported improvements in their motivation, confidence, and employment. Nearly 4 in 10 (38%) of the survey respondents said they had obtained a new job.
More than 8 in 10 older, long-term unemployed respondents say that NSCN provided essential emotional support, helping them understand they were not alone.
A majority of volunteer career coaches report that addressing job seekers’ self-esteem and helping rebuild their confidence were among the most valuable services for NSCN members.

The Philip and Tammy Murphy Family Foundation provided foundational support for the initiative. The Heldrich Center also obtained funding to match the Murphy Family Foundation’s contribution from New Jersey Resources, the Fund for New Jersey, the Corporation for National and Community Service/New Jersey Volunteer Generation Fund, Amazon, and other New Jersey based companies.

New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy said of NSCN: “What we did here with the New Start Career Network represents the best of New Jersey and is a model for the nation. We have the Heldrich Center for Workforce Development at Rutgers, our state university, devoting its expertise and its resources. We have business, government, nonprofits, individual volunteers, and other organizations coming together to solve a problem that affects the livelihood of so many. This is how we make progress as a state, and I am honored to have been a part of this effort. We are incorporating the lessons from NSCN into our ongoing efforts to build a stronger and fairer New Jersey for all our residents.”

The Next Recession is Never Far Away

NSCN was a response to high rates of long-term unemployment following the Great Recession, according to the report. Its lessons remain relevant today as the nation recovers from the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, which left 1.4 million workers long-term unemployed. NSCN provides insights to policymakers and funders considering strategies to enhance public workforce system services for older and dislocated workers.

The Heldrich Center and other researchers have documented the devastating impacts of long-term unemployment on individuals, families, and communities. Long-term unemployment leads to a wide range of adverse mental and physical health effects, including stress, depression, and higher suicide rates.

Carl Van Horn, founding director of the Heldrich Center and Distinguished Professor at the Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy, observed, “Older Americans are more likely to find themselves among the long-term unemployed than younger workers, and there are very limited remedies in this country to help them. Unemployment benefits run out for those who qualified in the first place, and funding for retraining and job search assistance is scant.”

Volunteer Career Coach Program was Significant Innovation

NSCN’s innovative use of volunteer career coaches played a critical, cost-effective role in helping job seekers regain confidence and find jobs. NSCN’s volunteers helped members navigate the emotional challenges of job search, listened nonjudgmentally to their concerns, and encouraged job seekers on the tough days.

Volunteer career coaches found their counseling relationships productive. “I think that job seekers benefit most from the support, encouragement, and accountability that career coaches provide — assistance that cannot be obtained through webinars and other tools,” one coach said. Another remarked, “Most individuals I coach feel defeated, undervalued, and angry about being let go. It's important for me, as the coach, to address those issues first and foremost.”

In 2018, in recognition of their extraordinary efforts to help older, long-term unemployed New Jerseyans, the NSCN volunteer career coaches were honored with a New Jersey State Governor’s Jefferson Award. The Jefferson Awards, established in 1972 as the official recognition program of the U.S. Senate, are considered America’s highest honor for public service and volunteerism.

Reducing Stress and Building Confidence

The report notes that it is essential “to assess the program’s impact on people’s confidence and self-esteem, which are as critical to their job search and overall well-being."

Surveys of NSCN job seekers found that the members appreciated understanding that they were not alone and that the program improved their mental health. Over two-thirds of NSCN members said that the program improved their motivation and confidence. Stress can impair individuals’ executive functioning, including planning, setting, and achieving goals. NSCN reduced members’ stress and improved their emotional well-being, often leading to better outcomes.

Michele Martin, NSCN’s second director, noted, “For many New Start members, access to the volunteer coaches was a much-needed lifeline during a challenging time in their lives. Having someone they perceived as ‘in their corner,’ listening to their concerns and validating the difficulty of the search helped members persist in their efforts. When the search seemed overwhelming, coaches helped members break things down into more manageable tasks and provided the ongoing encouragement, structure, and accountability that job seekers needed.”

Looking Forward

Based on the experience designing and implementing NSCN, the Heldrich Center found that older, long-term unemployed job seekers need more, and different, services than typically available through the public workforce system. These include:

Emotional and mental health support;
Coaching to help with motivation and execution of a job search;
Unbiased and realistic information about education, training, and specific job prospects; and
Opportunities to connect to and provide peer support to one another.

The report finds that persuading employers to overcome biases against older workers was difficult and recommends that older workers should be considered for apprenticeships and sector-focused employment and training programs so that employers can assess older workers on the job, rather than just on a résumé.

“We learned from NSCN that many of our members face opportunity gaps rather than skills or training gaps. Helping them requires concerted efforts to partner with employers, convincing them to include older workers in their diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives and to rethink hiring practices that exclude many talented individuals just because they have a résumé gap or are in their 40s, 50s, or 60s,” said NSCN founding director, Maria Heidkamp.

A Model for Other Agencies, Foundations, and Universities

“I have been involved in multiple efforts to help job seekers over the years, notably following the events of 9/11 and now thousands of older, long-term unemployed individuals through the New Start Career Network,” said Kathy Krepcio, Executive Director of the Heldrich Center. “These experiences have reinforced for me the need to keep working to strengthen the offerings of our country’s under-resourced public workforce system, which does not go far enough to help workers cope with dislocation and make successful transitions.”

“Academic institutions, foundations, and other public-private partnerships with a mission to help long-term unemployed job seekers might consider adapting successful practices from NCSN into their own approaches,” added Heidkamp.

Among the program design principles featured in the report are:

Offer all services free-of-charge.
Serve as a guide for job seekers and help them select a set of the “best” or most promising resources.
Encourage active engagement of job seekers rather than only providing passive lists of resources, with an emphasis on networking and peer support.
Refer to job seekers as “members” of the network rather than clients or program participants.
Establish an almost-entirely virtual program, integrating a “high tech/high engagement” approach that would offer access to both digital services as well as personalized career coaching provided by trained, volunteer career coaches for members who wanted the help.
Customize options based on individuals’ needs. No services would be required for members, who would be free to engage as much or as often as they wanted.
Make services available to all job seekers who met basic criteria: age 45+, long-term unemployed or underemployed, and a New Jersey resident. The program was not a “boot camp” model available to small cohorts, nor was it limited to only job seekers likely to have good outcomes or limited to white-collar workers and/or college graduates.

* Conducted in 2018 (N=662) and 2021 (N=272).

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Heldrich Center’s innovative strategy delivers strong results, demonstrates the value of volunteer career coaches

Helping Older, Long-term Unemployed Job Seekers A Report on the Heldrich Center’s New Start Career Network

heldrich_robb — Tue, 19 Jul 2022 13:40:46 +0000

Helping Older, Long-term Unemployed Job Seekers A Report on the Heldrich Center’s New Start Career Network

Topic

Research Publications & Reports

older job seekers

long-term unemployed

heldrich_robb Tue, 07/19/2022 - 13:40

Published Date

July 19, 2022

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Program Development & Technical Assistance Products

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NSCN_Helping_Older_Long-term_Unemployed_Job_Seekers.pdf (2.08 MB)

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Provides an overview of the design and implementation of the New Start Career Network, a statewide program to assist older, long-term unemployed New Jerseyans. Examines the rationale behind the program, the design of the program model, and collaborators. Also discusses the program’s services, including a website, webinars, online tools, and career coaching. Reviews approaches to engaging employers, recruiting members, and event and media highlights, as well as offers a profile of members. Finally, offers lessons learned, recommendations, and key elements for how nonprofit programs can serve long-term, unemployed job seekers.

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New report examines design, implementation and results from a program that assisted older, unemployed New Jersey workers.

Martin Appears on Talent Talks Podcast

heldrich_robb — Thu, 07 Oct 2021 17:14:35 +0000

Martin Appears on Talent Talks Podcast

Published Date

October 7, 2021

heldrich_robb Thu, 10/07/2021 - 17:14

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Announcement

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Michele Martin is featured as a guest on the podcast Talent Talks. She discusses the Heldrich Center’s mission as well as the center’s New Start Career Network. Michele also discusses the emotional challenges that the long-term unemployed face, an innovative approach to provide the long-term unemployed the supports that they need to thrive, and how the center’s work is supplementing the public workforce system by using volunteers and peer support. Listen here.

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Michele Martin is featured as a guest on the podcast Talent Talks where she discusses solutions to support the long-term unemployed

New Start Career Network Profiled in ROI-NJ Story

heldrich_robb — Wed, 30 Jun 2021 12:34:32 +0000

New Start Career Network Profiled in ROI-NJ Story

Published Date

June 30, 2021

heldrich_robb Wed, 06/30/2021 - 12:34

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Press Coverage

Topic

Older Workers

reemployment

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A recent ROI-NJ article, “Helping Hand: Rutgers, Businesses Team up to Get Older, Unemployed Workers Back into Workforce,” examines the Heldrich Center’s New Start Career Network (NSCN), a program that assists long-term unemployed older workers in New Jersey. In addition to discussing NSCN’s services, the article features comments from Heldrich Center director Carl Van Horn, Ph.D. about the genesis of the program, the challenges older workers face while searching for employment, and how the program has helped its members. Also featured is James Canterbury, a principal in EY’s consulting practice, who discusses EY’s involvement with NSCN as well as some lessons for older workers looking to get back into the workforce.

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Article features comments from Carl Van Horn.

AARP Profiles New Start Career Network

admin — Thu, 22 Oct 2020 15:21:25 +0000

AARP Profiles New Start Career Network

Published Date

July 29, 2020

admin Thu, 10/22/2020 - 15:21

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Media Appearance

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training programs

Unemployment & Reemployment

Older Workers

New Jersey

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Maria Heidkamp

Excerpt

The Heldrich Center’s New Start Career Network (NSCN) program is profiled in two new AARP Magazine articles:

In “These Job Programs Can Help You Find Work During the Pandemic,” NSCN Director Maria Heidkamp discusses how the program has expanded its services to New Jersey residents in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Heidkamp, who is also Director of Technical Assistance and Program Development at the Heldrich Center, talks about the challenges older workers are facing in “For Many Older Workers, Layoffs Mean Learning New Job-Search Skills.”

Launched in October 2015, NSCN helps New Jersey residents age 45 and older who have been out of work or underemployed for at least six months. NSCN provides its members with a variety of free services, including one-on-one and group coaching, webinars, job search tips, job opportunities, daily email tips, job fairs, and career tools and an array of resources on the members-only area of the program’s website. Currently, over 5,500 New Jersey residents are members of NSCN.

Major funding for NSCN is provided by the Philip and Tammy Murphy Family Foundation. Additional funding comes from New Jersey Resources and the Fund for New Jersey.

Tagline

The New Start Career Network is profiled in two new AARP Magazine articles.

New Start Career Network Cited in Recent New York Times Articles

admin — Thu, 22 Oct 2020 15:21:13 +0000

New Start Career Network Cited in Recent New York Times Articles

Published Date

November 4, 2019

admin Thu, 10/22/2020 - 15:21

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Topic

U.S. Labor Market & Industry

Unemployment & Reemployment

Media Outlet

New York Times

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Workforce Policy & Practice

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Carl E. Van Hor

Excerpt

The Heldrich Center’s New Start Career Network was mentioned in two recent New York Times articles.

Lots of Job Hunting, but No Job, Despite Low Unemployment looks at the challenges job seekers are facing despite the nation’s low unemployment rates. The article features comments from Dr. Carl Van Horn about the stigma of unemployment and age discrimination.

Your Uber Driver is ‘Retired’? You Shouldn’t be Surprised examines older workers in non-traditional jobs.

The New Start Career Network, launched in October 2015, provides free assistance to older (45+) long-term unemployed job seekers in New Jersey.

Tagline

The Heldrich Center’s New Start Career Network was mentioned in two recent New York Times articles.

Answering the Call: Virtual Volunteering to Help Job Seekers

admin — Thu, 22 Oct 2020 15:18:46 +0000

Answering the Call: Virtual Volunteering to Help Job Seekers

Topic

volunteers

Volunteer Career Coaches

long-term unemployed

Research Publications & Reports

unemployment

admin Thu, 10/22/2020 - 15:18

Published Date

April 14, 2020

Type

Work Category

Program Development & Technical Assistance Products

(OLD) Related Experts

Maria Heidkamp

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On April 9, 2020, as part of its extensive coverage of how the world is responding to the global COVID-19 pandemic, the New York Times ran two articles highlighting the power of volunteering. One was called “The Science of Helping Out” dealing with resilience — “our ability to bounce back from adversity” — noting that helping others can have a big impact on our personal well-being. The other, entitled “These Groups are Giving Out Unemployment Advice. Their Expertise? Personal Experience,” was about the rising number of online groups led by jobless workers trying to help each other navigate the morass of newly expanded unemployment insurance regulations — stepping up to fill a need that the under-resourced, incredibly over-burdened public workforce system, with its embarrassingly antiquated technology (in New Jersey’s case, 40-plus year old COBOL-based systems), cannot meet.

Since late 2015, roughly 350 volunteer coaches have played a vital role in the Rutgers University Heldrich Center for Workforce Development’s New Start Career Network (NSCN), a primarily privately funded initiative that has provided free assistance to over 5,200 mid-career and older (age 45+) long-term unemployed New Jersey job seekers.* NSCN’s coaches have already contributed over 40,000 hours of their time to help NSCN’s job seekers.

When the Heldrich Center designed the program, New Jersey had over 125,000 long-term unemployed individuals — 4 in 10 unemployed job seekers, which was one of the highest rates of long-term unemployment in the nation. Given the scale of the problem, we did not want to provide help in a small “bootcamp” model that might serve groups of 20 to 25 job seekers at a time, maybe reaching a couple of hundred individuals per year. We opted to deploy robust online services, including job search tools and webinars on a broad range of issues. While high-quality online resources enable many to conduct a successful, contemporary job search, others need more help. For those suffering from a lack of self-esteem and confidence, anxiety, stress, or depression that can come with long-term unemployment, NSCN offers individual and small group coaching delivered by trained volunteer career coaches.

Our first call for volunteers in the summer of 2015 was straightforward: helping struggling older job seekers would be challenging, but rewarding. We were gratified by the willingness of so many talented people who stepped up to the challenge. As one early volunteer career coach explained when then U.S. Labor Secretary Tom Perez visited the program in February 2016, “I was so excited by the New Start Career Network. When I saw the link initially, I literally drove here. I stopped by with no appointment, no announcement, came around the corner on two wheels, and I am just delighted that this program is in place.” Another of our initial volunteers went on to become indispensable to nurturing the NSCN volunteer network and vastly expanding our online offerings for job seekers — my colleague and NSCN’s associate director Michele Martin.

NSCN’s volunteer career coaches come from a range of backgrounds, including human resources, industry, education, coaching, and counseling. Many had themselves experienced long-term unemployment or knew family members or friends who had. NSCN volunteer career coaches attend a training session that helps them better understand the challenges older, long-term unemployed job seekers face, how the program works, and how coaching helps support and motivate job seekers and improves their executive functioning and job search skills.

Respondents to a 2018 NSCN member survey reported that the program improved their emotional well-being, confidence, and motivation; 86% said they would recommend NSCN to a friend. Eighty-seven percent said that individual coaching was helpful. As one job seeker put it, “Meeting with my career coach was an uplifting experience. Searching for a job is a lonely and demoralizing process and having someone listen to my frustrations and offer advice was a lifesaver in many ways.” Ninety-two percent of survey respondents who participated in small group coaching found it helpful; our volunteers have offered virtual groups focusing on being resilient, keeping positive during a job search, and pursuing entrepreneurship. There are also virtual men’s and women’s groups and a continuing virtual support group for those who have completed individual coaching and want additional assistance.

Among the comments we hear from coaches about their experience, many mention the satisfaction of “paying it forward” and seeing the “Aha!” moments when job seekers make progress or get a job. Others say they enjoy the camaraderie with their fellow volunteers and are proud to be part of a pioneering volunteerism initiative.

In 2018, in recognition of their extraordinary and compassionate efforts to help older, long-term unemployed New Jerseyans, the NSCN volunteer career coaches were honored with a New Jersey State Governor’s Jefferson Award. The Jefferson Awards, established in 1972 as the official recognition program of the United States Senate, are considered America’s highest honor for public service and volunteerism.

NSCN was always primarily a virtual program and has further adapted to the current need for social distancing by conducting its first entirely virtual orientation for our new volunteers. They have bravely joined the program at a time in which the nation is facing a record-shattering nearly 17 million new jobless claims — more than a half million in New Jersey, due to the coronavirus recession. We are making the resources of NSCN available to more job seekers who will need help both in New Jersey and in the region when it will be time to rebuild the economy. The need for support is unprecedented; addressing it would be unimaginable without the help of volunteers like ours.

* Major funding for the New Start Career Network was contributed by the Philip and Tammy Murphy Family Foundation. Additional support has been provided by New Jersey Resources, The Fund for New Jersey, the Corporation for National and Community Service/New Jersey Volunteer Generation Fund, the John J. Heldrich Center for Workforce Development, and Rutgers Career Services-New Brunswick.

Tagline

Reviews how a corps of volunteer career coaches have helped older and mid-career workers in New Jersey.

New Start Career Network Roundtable with Tom Perez

admin — Thu, 22 Oct 2020 15:16:28 +0000

New Start Career Network Roundtable with Tom Perez

Topic

Unemployment & Reemployment

mature workers

older workers in New Jersey