Takela Jones-Morris

SCHOOL:  Tougaloo College    MAJOR:  Economics     EMPHASIS: Business Administration and Accounting    MENTOR:  Dr. John Conlon    EXPECTED GRADUATION DATE:  December 1999    ORGANIZATIONS: Yearbook Staff (Editor-in-Chief) Business Club (Vice-President) Student Government Association Alpha Chi Honor Society Alpha Lambda Delta Honor Society Student Support Services

Because economic opportunities for less-skilled workers are deteriorating, job programs have become important tools in reducing the effects of poverty. Nonetheless, evidence indicates that many of these programs are not as effective as they could be due to limited access to resources.  Most job programs only last for a few weeks or months.  Programs that last for such short periods of time rarely address the underlying problems that many less skilled workers face. This research shows that in order for these programs to be truly effective, more resources must be invested into them.

This research project entailed researching the various job programs available in the Oxford, Mississippi area. The Marshall County TANF welfare to work program and the Allied Enterprises Rehabilitation Center were examined. After gathering statistics and conducting interviews, the actual time and resources invested in these programs were compared to those resources and time invested in high school education in the Oxford, Mississippi School District.

Findings indicated that the resources invested into Allied Enterprises greatly exceeded the resources invested into the TANF welfare to work program.  This is largely due to the fact that Allied Enterprises serves people with mental and physical disabilities. The program is very intense and caters to the individual needs of its participants. Each participant has a time limit of five years.  The resources invested into Allied Resources per participant are 5.96 times more than the resources invested into high school education.

The resources invested into the TANF job readiness and job search assistance programs are quite small compared to high school education. They are only equal to about to 1.4 percent to 11.4 percent of the resources invested into high school education.  The program does not provide intense training for its participants.  A TANF welfare to work supervisor relates,
“They tell us to get these ladies jobs.  They have absolutely no training.  Where am I going to get them a job?  We can not do all that we need to do in the time frame given.  I am not exactly pleased that we only have two weeks.  We need more time and intensive instruction.”

According to LaLonde (19950, an additional year of schooling is associated with approximately 8% increase in average workers’ earnings.  Such a significant increase in income could be due to the large amount of resources invested into high school education.  The TANF work program would provide only up to 11.4% of the 8% increase.  This is usually not enough to put participants above the poverty line.  More resources must be invested into these programs so that they can provide intense training that will enable less skilled workers to acquire stable, higher paying jobs.

Alternative methods that would empower less skilled workers to escape poverty must be incorporated into the TANF welfare to work program. Some of these methods include education and entrepreneurship. Research indicates that TANF policies do not encourage its participants to further their education.  They just want these people to work.  In the long run, education provides just as much self-worth and self-sufficiency as working.  Additionally, some people on welfare have many special talents that would allow them to actually be self-sufficient.

Theoretically, the main objective of all work programs is to ultimately increase the earnings of poor people in order to reduce their dependence on government assistance.  This can only be done if the less skilled workers are given the opportunity to become more skilled through effective work, educational, and training programs.  Just as we would not expect two to four weeks of high school education to greatly impact one’s income, much should not be expected from work programs that are inadequately funded and that are unable to provide services that address the underlying issues less skilled workers face.  In the long run, if the government continues to sow small amounts of resources into work programs, it will reap the terrible effects of increased poverty among less skilled workers.