{"content":[{"text":"The Innovation Journal: The Public Sector Innovation Journal, Volume 13(1), 2008, Article 9.","bbox":{"left":0.188734,"top":0.045904,"width":0.6838550000000001,"height":0.015352999999999999}},{"text":"Growing To Work Enterprise","bbox":{"left":0.354216,"top":0.091695,"width":0.29161100000000006,"height":0.019547999999999996}},{"text":"Introduction","bbox":{"left":0.117647,"top":0.148089,"width":0.10678599999999999,"height":0.01677899999999999}},{"text":"In February, 2005 a small workforce development organization located in a primarily rural area","bbox":{"left":0.117647,"top":0.174074,"width":0.749266,"height":0.01677899999999999}},{"text":"in the State of Michigan introduced a new pilot welfare-to-work initiative labeled: “Growing To","bbox":{"left":0.117647,"top":0.20021,"width":0.7590030000000001,"height":0.01677899999999999}},{"text":"Work Enterprise (GTW-E)”. The Thumb Area Michigan Works! Agency drafted the “Growing","bbox":{"left":0.117647,"top":0.226347,"width":0.75189,"height":0.01677899999999999}},{"text":"To Work Enterprise” pilot as a logical response to the need for a revised employment training","bbox":{"left":0.117647,"top":0.252483,"width":0.7358850000000001,"height":0.01677899999999999}},{"text":"program for work ready public assistance recipients. “The Growing To Work Enterprise”","bbox":{"left":0.117647,"top":0.27862,"width":0.7052609999999999,"height":0.01677899999999999}},{"text":"innovation was proposed to replace the State’s ”Work First” program. The ”Work First”","bbox":{"left":0.117647,"top":0.304756,"width":0.697036,"height":0.01677899999999999}},{"text":"program (also first pilot tested by Thumb Area Michigan Works! in the early 1980’s) operates","bbox":{"left":0.117647,"top":0.330893,"width":0.7382440000000001,"height":0.01677899999999999}},{"text":"just as it’s title suggests.","bbox":{"left":0.117647,"top":0.357029,"width":0.19114899999999996,"height":0.01677899999999999}},{"text":"In other words, people wanting and receiving public benefits must","bbox":{"left":0.318576,"top":0.357029,"width":0.5194859999999999,"height":0.01677899999999999}},{"text":"make a documentable effort to try and find “work first”.","bbox":{"left":0.117647,"top":0.383166,"width":0.439996,"height":0.01677899999999999}},{"text":"It was logical to assume that in a good","bbox":{"left":0.567431,"top":0.383166,"width":0.300528,"height":0.01677899999999999}},{"text":"economy, making client-customers seek out real work was an appropriate objective. However in","bbox":{"left":0.117647,"top":0.409302,"width":0.7606360000000001,"height":0.01677899999999999}},{"text":"a poor economy with high unemployment, persistent job searches resulted in client-customer","bbox":{"left":0.117647,"top":0.435439,"width":0.728593,"height":0.01677899999999999}},{"text":"frustration, loss of initiative and a growth of questionable participation recordkeeping.","bbox":{"left":0.117647,"top":0.461575,"width":0.676348,"height":0.01677899999999999}},{"text":"Hence,","bbox":{"left":0.803796,"top":0.461575,"width":0.05497099999999999,"height":0.01677899999999999}},{"text":"the creation of the “Growing To Work Enterprise” initiative was a timely and “economy-","bbox":{"left":0.117647,"top":0.487712,"width":0.699673,"height":0.016779000000000044}},{"text":"flexible” alternative to “Work First”.","bbox":{"left":0.117647,"top":0.513848,"width":0.28922,"height":0.01677899999999999}},{"text":"The GTW-E pilot takes client-customer empowerment to an innovative, expanded and diverse","bbox":{"left":0.117647,"top":0.566121,"width":0.7393320000000001,"height":0.01677899999999999}},{"text":"new level.","bbox":{"left":0.117647,"top":0.592257,"width":0.08057900000000001,"height":0.01677899999999999}},{"text":"First at the onset of GTW-E participation, empowerment begins when client-","bbox":{"left":0.20801,"top":0.592257,"width":0.603737,"height":0.01677899999999999}},{"text":"customers are asked to “Need Scale” themselves as a means of making service delivery more","bbox":{"left":0.117647,"top":0.618394,"width":0.730704,"height":0.01677899999999999}},{"text":"effective and efficient.","bbox":{"left":0.117647,"top":0.64453,"width":0.17696,"height":0.01677899999999999}},{"text":"Operationally defined, Need Scaling requires that each client-customer","bbox":{"left":0.30438,"top":0.64453,"width":0.556421,"height":0.01677899999999999}},{"text":"be afforded the opportunity and responsibility to personally identify and numerically rank issues","bbox":{"left":0.117647,"top":0.670667,"width":0.755987,"height":0.01677899999999999}},{"text":"that are barriers to attaining employment.","bbox":{"left":0.117647,"top":0.696803,"width":0.32468800000000003,"height":0.01677899999999999}},{"text":"This service targeting initiative greatly improves","bbox":{"left":0.452147,"top":0.696803,"width":0.38153699999999996,"height":0.01677899999999999}},{"text":"eventual human development investments.","bbox":{"left":0.117647,"top":0.72294,"width":0.334277,"height":0.01677899999999999}},{"text":"Second, in addition to the basics of taking ownership","bbox":{"left":0.461738,"top":0.72294,"width":0.41535200000000005,"height":0.01677899999999999}},{"text":"of their own professional workforce development plan, GTW-E client-customers are personally","bbox":{"left":0.117647,"top":0.749076,"width":0.7497799999999999,"height":0.01677899999999999}},{"text":"responsible for maintaining their own computerized program participation log.","bbox":{"left":0.117647,"top":0.775213,"width":0.6169389999999999,"height":0.01677899999999999}},{"text":"This mandate to","bbox":{"left":0.744349,"top":0.775213,"width":0.12623699999999993,"height":0.01677899999999999}},{"text":"require a minimum level of computer literacy as part of service delivery is not common in most","bbox":{"left":0.117647,"top":0.801349,"width":0.7489890000000001,"height":0.01677899999999999}},{"text":"public sector human service endeavors.","bbox":{"left":0.117647,"top":0.827486,"width":0.308782,"height":0.01677899999999999}},{"text":"Each of these unique client-customer empowerment","bbox":{"left":0.436239,"top":0.827486,"width":0.40771700000000005,"height":0.01677899999999999}},{"text":"opportunities will be further explained within the context of this article.","bbox":{"left":0.117647,"top":0.853622,"width":0.561523,"height":0.01677899999999999}},{"text":"2","bbox":{"left":0.49451,"top":0.93747,"width":0.01095299999999999,"height":0.01721600000000001}}],"images_bbox":[],"images_bbox_not_text_overlap":[]}