Regional Access Point Program

About the Program

Category: Personnel Management, Employment and Training (Best in Category)

Year: 2012

By the end of 2009, the State of Arizona’s unemployment rate had climbed to 10.4% which had been the highest since 1983. It was estimated that more than 25,000 jobs would be lost in 2010. To address the increasing demand for job search assistance provided in the County’s One-Stop Career Centers, Maricopa County Human Services Department, Maricopa Workforce Connections (MWC), took action in July 2009, officially launching the county’s Access Point program, connecting more job seekers with the services provided by the local One-Stop system and the employers assisted by this program. Serving all county residents, the program was designed to purposely target veteran, homeless, youth and re-entry populations.In 2011, the unemployment rate for Arizona declined to 8.7%, but the need for employment resources in the communities remained strong. Maricopa County is 9,224 square miles. Of that, approximately 450 square miles have public transportation which is largely focused on the Phoenix Metro area. With such a large area to serve, MWC partnered with the city of Phoenix, Phoenix Workforce Connection (PWC) in planning its successful Regional Access Point program. Community and faith-based organizations were invited to become One-Stop Access Points to provide one-on-one and Internet-based One-Stop job search information to job seekers in their immediate communities. Since the implementation of Access Points in 2009, 42 Access Points have been established and new Access Points are being established almost monthly.