How Innovative Career Workshops for Young Adults are Changing the Game IAEVG Conference - Capetown 2011 Yuval Shafir, CEO of i Decide Vocational Guidance for Young Adults in Israel - a unique opportunity for budget services Budget Mid-Range High-End Until 2006 Up to ~100$ ~100$-400$ Over 400$ Agenda The unique opportunity we had How I came to found "i Decide" Our innovative workshops for young adults - fact sheet Key factors for this success: - Subsidy model - Operation - Marketing - Methodology - Facilitation Conclusion Government operated service: Tests and one on one session Questionable quality... (self testimony). Market controlled by Hadassah, an NGO: Tests and one on one sessions Traditional tests + 3 meetings format Occupational Psychologists or counsellors: Private sessions. 2004-2006 events Governmental service discontinued. Hadassah NGO loses financial support and ceases to exist. From 2006 i Decide is founded and the Direction Finder Workshops gradually spread throught the country. 'Adam Milo' - biggest HR company in Israel acquires Hadassah's IP and smoothly continues in it's shoes. Cinematography student - One year I wanted to influence people and improve their life and being through ART, but cinema didn't seem to be MY art. Computer Science and Chinese - B.Sc. Just to explore the lush green of the campus, the social life and the abundance of peculiar courses in the faculty of humanities. Master in Business Administration (MBA) Marketing appealed to me as a creative field, and I also liked the organizational psychology courses. I correctly assumed that McKinsey would be a good school for my purpose to do something significant on a large scale. Strategic Consultant, McKinsey and Company i Decide Founder and CEO Reading 'What Color Is Your Parachute?' changes my life and I decide to help others find their own way. I used my creative urge, my teaching experience, my practical consulting background and my personal network to collect knowledge from Psychology, coaching and philosophy and create the Direction Finder Workshop. (All these years I was also a Math, English and S.A.T. teacher) Career Direction Finder Workshop Fact Sheet To our best knowledge, this is the first time an open for all career guidance workshop model has ever proven to be sustainably successful in Israel. But That is nearly all the budget segment clients (excluding targeted welfare programs). Group format allows for low cost per participant while being professionaly effective. about 2/3 of workshop participants had not intended to use paid vocational guidance prior to hearing about the workshop. About 6% of total annual number of young adults paying for vocational guidance services are i Decide workshop participants (600 annualy in ~50 workshops). An expansion of the utilization of vocational guidance. 2 days in group one day of 1 on 1 sessions Most participants are high school graduates and aim for a bachelor's degree. Participants pay around 320 ZAR (40$ or 30€). The workshops run in ~20 locations all around Israel and are alternately led by 3 facilitators. Participants grade these statements before and after the workshop: "I am well aware of the professions and majors that might fit me." "I can quite acurately define what is most important for me in a profession." "I feel that I know what to do from here in order to reach my final decision." Avg. before 2.8 of 5 Avg. after 4.4 of 5 95% of participants would recomment the workshop to a friend. what's the secret? How's that impact made possible? Why the workshop works The 5 elements Solid subsidy model Standard smooth operation Effective marketing Comprehensive methodology Workshop leadership Income Cost 75% comes from few organizations: Established trust with senior executives in NGOs on personal level. Commitment of NGOs to deeply subsidize multiple workshops. 25% of income comes from participants. 65% of cost is ours: Research and development Marketing tools and aids Facilitation Materials Administrative 35% of cost is our clients' : Sales and registration Classroom ~35% profit allows us to function as a business Profit Standard Offering Same full day format, no split (So it's economic to send skilled facilitator to faraway locations) Same contents, no customization Same fees, no bargaining Same workbook, same exercises Same schedule, same handouts Facilitator comes to workshop with a 'plug and play' kit containing all materials. This is not a voodoo doll, it's a cookie cutter. Standard Procedures Operation manager has standard procedures for the scheduling of a workshop that include overseeing it's successful participant recruitment, technicalities, billing and collection. Collection of debts is something we're currently revising. Standard Facilitator Recruitment Our clients: A network of ~20 community centers dedicated to young adults, mostly in areas far from the center in concentrations of under priviledged population, and funded by a mixture of NGOs and governmental programs. Phone Interview Orientation and Training Short Simulation Final Simulation CV Putting a well designed ad, and rapid filtering of ~85% of CVs by clear criteria. Checking primary fit, filtering ~50% of candidates Candidates prepare ahead for 15 minutes class simulation in front of 3-4 interviewers. Screens out 75% of candidates. Most important criterion: "would you like this person to facilitate a workshop for someone dear to you?" Thorough simulation including real life workshop situations and personal interview. For each 250 CVs, 1-2 candidates remain! One of the questions for the interviewee: "People who participate in your workshops tend more to appreciate you or to like you?" Materials are well edited and new facilitator needs just one day of personal training. The rest is watching workshops and doing 2 workshops in co with another facilitator. Process costs ~5 labor days altogether per new facilitator. The solid subsidy model and the slim and standard operation are the reasons why we can provide a high end quality work shop for the price of 320 ZAR per participant. Effective marketing creates the demand that enables customers to recruit a full group almost always Customers receive training on how to recruit participants by phone, to make best use of their distribution lists. We supply brochures and designs for posters with the customers specific details on them. The title says: "Would you dedicate 2 days for a decision with an impact of 40 years?" After each workshop, photos are uploaded to facebook and participants are tagged, so that their friends get to know about the workshop. The methodology allows to help a wide range of participants with different issues Vocational alternatives to consider ~3-10 options ~2-7 options Alternatives that suit my personality (using Holland Codes and MBTI). Alternatives where I'd enjoy the daily work. Alternatives that suit my emotional needs and values. Creating a primary list of 10-50 using exercises and a comprehensive vocational handbook. ~7-20 options Alternatives that suit my financial aspirations and misc. considerations. ~2-5 options The Choice Funnel - advancing with each exercise Facilitator assists participant in creating a workplan to research options in a private session that follows the workshop. The mental process that supports the cognitive funnel process includes coaching for self defeating belief, understanding the notion of choice etc. Supporting and guiding Encouraging self-action and limiting hand by hand support (cc) photo by medhead on Flickr The balance allows for enough support while prompting to take initiative and building ownership of choice. The workshop leaders are exceptional people who excel both in group facilitation and in 1 on 1 counselling What we mainly look for: 1 on 1 skills: coaching skills analytical skills charisma in 1 on 1 setting resourceful Group skills: clear, logical tending to emotional needs charismatic, engaging trustworhy eye-level communication with different people Values: humility and respect to each person - no cynicism strong commitment to results pressure resistance openness to feedback integrity Conclusion i Decide's Direction Finder Workshop is the main budget service for young adults in Israel. Measured satisfaction is very high. The model is feasible thanks to: Thank you! A solid subsidy model and standard operation to keep fees low, costs low and profit reasonable. Effective marketing strategy to facilitate recruiting and create demand even where there's low awareness to the benefits of vocational guidance. A comprehensive multi-disciplinary methodology and a really great choice of facilitators. A brief professional history Just a small anecdote... My grandmother also lives in Capetown... In Israel