From Crisis to Opportunity: A Snapshot of Strategies Adopted during the Pandemic by Senior Community Service Employment Program National Grantees Research Report

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Release Date: January 01, 2023

From Crisis to Opportunity: A Snapshot of Strategies Adopted during the Pandemic by Senior Community Service Employment Program National Grantees Research Report

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About the Report

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The report provides a snapshot of how Senior Community Service Employment Program (SCSEP) grantees adapted or expanded strategies to serve older workers in response to challenges faced during the pandemic. Strategies include (1) adopting new recruitment outreach, intake, and engagement activities; (2) promoting digital access and technology loaner programs; (3) providing training remotely; (4) adopting new host agency and employer strategies; and (5) implementing staffing strategies to support SCSEP participants’ needs. Grantees interviewed also shared lessons related to policies and practices, including how flexibility in program implementation helped them adapt services during the pandemic and how to support digital skills development and access for SCSEP participants moving forward.

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Research Questions

  • How did SCSEP grantees adapt and implement strategies in response to challenges during the pandemic?
  • What strategies and practices did programs consider retaining going forward, and why?

Key Takeaways

  • The nine national Senior Community Service Employment Program grantees interviewed for this study described several challenges beginning in March 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic, including the following:
    • Many participants could not return to their Community Service Assignments (CSAs) because supervisors worked remotely, host-agency sites limited in-person capacity because of social distancing, or host agencies permanently closed. The return to in-person CSA training varied by service area because of local business closures and local and state health requirements.
    • Grantees had limited engagement with partners, such as host agencies, employers, and American Job Centers, because of the closure of businesses and other local organizations.
    • It was difficult to provide remote services to participants who lacked the technology or skills to take advantage of these services. SCSEP grantees had to find new ways to provide services to older adults looking for work that lacked digital access and skills.
  • Despite the multiple ongoing challenges, grantees interviewed for this study also indicated that the COVID-19 pandemic created opportunities to build capacity, adapt services, and adopt new strategies to meet the needs of program participants. Examples of new or adapted strategies described by grantees interviewed are included below:
    • Adopting new recruitment outreach, intake, and engagement activities. During the COVID-19 pandemic, grantees adopted new strategies for marketing the program to participants, often leveraging social media platforms and technology to target participants who might be a match for the program.
    • Promoting digital access and technology loaner programs. Grantees interviewed for this study shared that by providing digital access to participants, they felt they were helping participants compete with younger workers by giving them the opportunity to build and practice their digital skills.
    • Providing training remotely. Several grantee staff interviewed shared the perspective that digital skills and job-readiness trainings developed during the COVID-19 pandemic can complement a return to in-person training by providing flexibility to participants who can take advantage of remote training options.
    • Adopting new host agency and employer strategies. Grantees reported they could not rely on existing partners for CSA placements and subsidized employment. To attract new partners, they instead relied on new strategies, and expanded existing engagement strategies, to get prospective community-based organizations and employer partners interested in the program.
    • Implementing staffing strategies to support SCSEP participants’ needs. The COVID-19 pandemic forced organizations to make changes to infrastructure and staffing to start remote delivery. SCSEP grantees interviewed developed strategies for supporting staff experiencing stress and isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic while ensuring that the organization met demands and responded to participant needs.

Citation

Briggs, A., Spaulding, S., Adu-Gyamfi, A. (2022). Urban Institute. From Crisis to Opportunity: A Snapshot of Strategies Adopted during the Pandemic by Senior Community Service Employment Program National Grantees. Chief Evaluation Office, U.S. Department of Labor.

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The Department of Labor’s (DOL) Chief Evaluation Office (CEO) sponsors independent evaluations and research, primarily conducted by external, third-party contractors in accordance with the Department of Labor Evaluation Policy and CEO’s research development process.