2

problems, excluding the legal or financial aspects. We believe our proper role is to set forth the outlines of a sound public policy which can contribute significantly to a solution of the grave socio-economic problem in our urban centers. Once we have reached agreement on the nature of the program to be undertaken, the more specific questions of implementation can then be considered.

We emphasize that the report is addressed to all jurisdictions of government and to the private sector in Los Angeles County. Some recommendations, obviously, will be more applicable to one jurisdiction than to another; some can be implemented fairly quickly, while others may require a longer time or more complex procedures. Some will apply specifically to government, while others will relate to the private sector as well.

The study is divided into three main sections: (1) a definition of the "New Careers" concept and description of factual data secured through special surveys, focusing on the public sector and prepared by members of the staff of the OEO Training and Development Center at San Fernando Valley State College; (2) a summary of the major job development efforts by private enterprise, independently or with government funding, prepared by the business representatives on the task force; and (3) a listing of recommendations, with supporting arguments, which represent a general consensus of opinion within the task force.

New Careers in the Public Sector:

Basic Concepts and Facts

3

"The capacity to obtain and hold a 'good job' is the
traditional test of participation in American Society.
Steady employment with adequate compensation provides
both purchasing power and social status. It develops
the capabilities, confidence, and self-esteem an
individual needs to be a responsible citizen and pro-
vides a basis for a stable family life."1

These are the words found in the Kerner Commission Report, and they give us more concern today because we see in our own community high employment and affluence enjoyed by most of our citizens while segments of our population continue in unemployment and poverty. As the New York Times has commented editorially: "It is, to use Disraeli's expression, as though two nations were living side by side, one rich and privileged and the other poor and miserable. No better formula for civil disorder could be devised. The

two nations of contemporary America must be made one, economically as well as politically."2

John McCone, former Director of the Central Intelligence Agency, appeared before the Senate Judiciary Committee and spoke about the plight of our citizens living in the urban slums and ghettos of this country. He said, "I feel very deeply that unless we answer this problem it is going to split our society irretrievably and destroy our country."

It is to this problem--what we have done and what we still need to do in relation to new careers and job opportunities for the unemployed and underemployed--that we address ourselves in this report.

1Report of the National Advisory Commission on Civil Disorders, U.S. Government Printing Office: March 1, 1968.

2The New York Times, August 22, 1967.

Let us consider, first of all, the source of some of the employment problems in the United States and in our own community. A beginning list includes: urban population explosion, automation advances, population migration, racial discrimination, and an increasing pace, complexity and sophistication of our economy.

The following statistics are given by Frank H. Cassell, former Director of the United States Employment Service, U.S. Department of Labor:

In the U.S., our population by the year 2000 is expected to pass
the 300 million mark--half again as much as it is today. Most of
this growth will be in the urban areas. There people search for
jobs, for food, for existence, even for the good life. But for
many, the search is confined to the slums, the ghettos, the
'barridas' or shanty towns of incredible squalor and poverty.

In the 1950's, more than ten million people in the U.S. left the
farms for the cities, and this migration continues. Non-white
migration exceeds that of whites by two and one-half times.
Seventy per cent of our people now live in cities; it is estimated
that it will be ninety per cent by the year 2000.

The

Farm employment has virtually been knocked out by machines. people displaced by the machines are farm people, with very little, if any, education.

After World War I, one farm worker produced enough to feed seven people; now one worker supplies 30 consumers. Farm employment has fallen 50 per cent since 1950.

The consequences show up sharply in the unemployment rates of the urban slums of the largest American cities. The largest of these were surveyed by the U.S. Department of Labor late in 1966. The unemployment rates changed from seven to fifteen per cent, often three times the rate of the whole city.

A new index, the 'sub-employment index,' was devised to reflect other dimensions of disadvantage, including working only part time when the individual wants to work full time. This rate ranged from 25 per cent to more than 45 per cent.

Concurrent studies show that in some areas there are five people waiting for every common labor job which opens up. The imbalance is further shown by other studies of the eight largest slums, which uncovered 40,000 unemployed, while side by side in the metropolitan area there existed 160,000 unfilled jobs--but the people and the jobs didn't match or couldn't reach each other.

5

Unemployment in the slums has not decreased since 1960; the
fittest and the more fortunate move away, new people come in
from the rural areas to take the place of those who progress
out of the slum, but a hard core remains.

Jobs have a way of moving away from the poor and the disadvantaged. Even those who have skills oftentimes cannot reach the suburbanized job because of housing discrimination, or because of the cost of transportation--or even its unavailability.

The new factory and commerical buildings are being concentrated
in the outer ring of the metropolitan areas, often influenced by
the availability of a beltway.

Population pressures, emigration of people to the cities, outmigration of jobs to the suburbs away from those who cannot readily follow, skills inadequate to the requirements of an industrial society, unfulfilled expectations, a sense of being trapped by the system--an essentially white system--these form the matrix of our employment problems and contribute to the deep concern in our land.

The problems seem staggering... the consequences of inaction
dire!

The growing awareness of the crisis in our country has led to the emergent federally-funded employment programs designed to create new careers and redefine the whole utilization of manpower.

New Careers Concept:

Part of the philosophy of New Careers is matching meaningful jobs with appropriate people. There is a crying need for personnel in the human services field--many agencies are understaffed and overworked. At the same time a large proportion of our population is not being served by the agencies now in existence. Thus, while there is a tremendous shortage of professionals in the fields of health, education, and welfare, there are increasing demands for services that will more effectively meet the needs of the

community.

Studies (See R. Carkhuff, Journal of Counseling Psychology, 1968, Vol. 15, Nos. 1 and 2) indicate that non-professional personnel, in many instances,

6 can make greater contributions as change agents than can classical, academically oriented, middle-class professionals. For one thing, their style matches their clientele. As Cowen, et al., point out, the style involves "practicality, an external view of the causes of human difficulty, a concrete action, direct posture, and a militant stance with respect to authority and social action."3

In summary, there are a large number of people who need meaningful jobs. There is a great need for additional helping personnel in the fields of health, education, and welfare. The people who need jobs can also effectively meet the need for personnel, and with appropriate training can perform even more effectively in certain types of work than can the professionals whose services they are augmenting.

Hence, one important facet of the New Careers plan is the training and continuing education provided to people who are employed. By developing skills, the New Careerist should be able to move up the career ladder within the agency as far as his potential and interest permit. A New Career is not a dead-end job, but has built-in upward or lateral mobility. Thus, the

seven basic components of the New Careers model are:

1. Entry level positions in which workers can be immediately

productive to the employing agency.

2. Training immediately available and integrally connected to these

entry positions.

3. A visible career ladder between these entry positions and higher

positions within the job hierarchy.

3Cowen, E. L., E. A. Gardner, and M. Zax, Emergent Approaches to Mental Health Problems. New York: Appleton-Century-Crofts, 1967, p. 249.