State of Maryland

A Workforce Development Resources Specialist is the trainee level of work in the field of workforce development. Employees in this classification learn to perform workforce case management duties that deliver a wide range of career services to special and targeted populations of job seekers to increase and enhance their job seeking skills and lessen their duration of unemployment.  Employees in this classification do not supervise other positions.

Employees in this classification receive close supervision from a Workforce Development Specialist Supervisor or other designated supervisor. The work may require travel to various employer work sites in order to promote use of public workforce development services.

Positions in this classification are evaluated by using the classification job evaluation methodology. The use of this method involves comparing the assigned duties and responsibilities of a position to the job criteria found in the Nature of Work and Examples of Work sections of the class specification.

Learns to provide services to job seekers to expedite their entry or re-entry into  employment;

Learns to assess the skills and needs using the automated system to complete, review and update customer registration;

Learns to conduct informal assessments in resource areas and provide initial options for program and partner referrals;

Learns to identify potential job matches of customer skills with job qualifications;

Learns to refer qualified customers to job openings utilizing the automated workforce system;

Learns to assist customers by facilitating and demonstrating the usage of self-service workforce resources;

Learns to share labor market information with customers using appropriate resource materials and automated systems so they can make informed decisions on labor trends and economic conditions;

Learns to refer job seekers to training and/or supportive services to improve their job readiness by utilizing community, training and educational resources;

Learns to provide basic information and referral to federal bonding or other hiring incentive programs;

Learns to assess veteran Significant Barriers to Employment (SBE) eligibility and referral to DVOP staff;

Learns to provide screening and letters for the purpose of issuing a federal bonding letter;

Learns to answer basic Unemployment Insurance inquires as directed by UI;

Learns to demonstrate online tools including assessment and external employment resources;

Learns to identify customers for referral for advanced business services;

Learns to provide informal Resume consultation;

Learns to facilitate the engagement of job seekers and businesses with employment resources by providing comprehensive information on the local workforce system;

Learns to provide information on basic business services, take job orders and referrals to  businesses;

Learns to identify the greater employers' needs and facilitates a warm handoff (referral to business services) to a higher-level Workforce Development Specialist or other designated staff;

Learns to work with businesses to create workforce accounts;

Learns to enter job orders into the automated system according to employer specifications;

May provide eligibility review after unemployment insurance workshops;

Performs other related duties.

Knowledge of the workforce development programs in the Department of Labor;

Knowledge of local workforce development policies, procedures and techniques;

Knowledge of interviewing principles and techniques;

Knowledge of a wide variety of occupations and their required qualifications or those of an industrial occupational category;

Knowledge of current local and Statewide employment practices, trends and opportunities;

Knowledge of the principles and techniques of career guidance;

Knowledge of community resources including training and employment facilities;

Knowledge of the Unemployment Insurance Law of Maryland;

Ability to analyze work qualifications of applicants and evaluate job work requirements;

Ability to work with employers in developing jobs;

Ability to motivate applicants to improve their employability;

Ability to communicate effectively with agency staff and the general public;

Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with the general public, applicants, employers, and representatives of other agencies

Education:   Graduation from an accredited high school or possession of a high school equivalency certificate.

Experience: None.

Notes:

1. Candidates may substitute experience in the field of workforce development, customer service, human resources, recruiting or similar field may be substituted on a year-for- year basis for the required education.

2. Candidates may substitute U.S. Armed Forces military service experience as a non-commissioned officer with active-duty military recruiting experience or career counseling experience on a year-by-year basis for the required education.

Class specifications are broad descriptions covering groups of positions used by various State departments and agencies. Position descriptions maintained by the using department or agency specifically address the essential job functions of each position.

This is a Skilled Service classification in the State Personnel Management System. All positions in this classification are Skilled Service positions. Some positions in Skilled Service classifications may be designated Special Appointment in accordance with the State Personnel and Pensions Article, Section 6-405, Annotated Code of Maryland.

This classification is assigned to Bargaining Unit F, Social and Human Service Professionals classes. As provided by the State Personnel and Pensions Article, Section 3-102, special appointment, temporary, contractual, supervisory, managerial and confidential employees are excluded from collective bargaining. Additionally, certain executive branch agencies are exempt from collective bargaining and all positions in those agencies are excluded from collective bargaining.

Employees in this classification are eligible to receive overtime compensation. An employee who works more than the normal workweek is entitled to be compensated for that overtime, as provided by the State Personnel and Pensions Article, Section 8-305.

This classification is one level in a Non-Competitive Promotion (NCP) series. NCP promotions are promotions by which employees may advance in grade and class level from trainee to full performance levels in a classification series. In order to be non-competitively promoted to the next level in a NCP series, an employee must: 1) perform the main purpose of the class as defined in the Nature of Work section of the class specification; 2) receive the type of supervision defined in the class specification, and 3) meet the minimum qualifications of the classification.