DATE: June 24, 2016
MEDIA CONTACT: Alphonso Jefferson, Jr.
Assistant County Administrator
PHONE: 954-357-7352
EMAIL: ajefferson@broward.org

BROWARD COUNTY, FL - The Broward County Commission has approved a one-year pilot program that will target residents in economically distressed areas, including the Broward Municipal Services District (BMSD) which are experiencing a high unemployment rate, low income, disabilities or returning from incarceration (re-entry). 

The Transit Transitional Employment Pilot Program (TTE) partners with Opportunities Industrialization Center of South Florida (OIC-SFL) and ARC Broward (ARC) to provide participants specialized job readiness classes, vocational and job skills training, and employment opportunities to residents over 18 who reside in the target areas and meet the eligibility requirements. OIC-SFL and ARC will be responsible for providing cleaning services for the Broward County Transit's entire fleet of buses at BCT depots and key transfer sites. All persons performing under the TTE pilot program will be employees of OIC-SFL or ARC.

As part of the TTE pilot program, a pathway to employment component will be established allowing for full-time employment with Broward County. After a full year of employment with OIC-SFL or ARC on Broward County assignments with at least 1,040 hours performed, OIC-SFL and ARC, in consultation with County staff, will evaluate the performance of employees to determine successful candidates for consideration for vacant Coach Service Attendant (CSA) position(s). OIC-SFL and ARC may provide recommendations to County staff on notable candidates prior to the employee achieving the full year of employment.

Broward County's overall unemployment rate is 4.2 percent which is below the region, state and national average. However, a recent review of unemployment throughout Broward County shows the median household income in the target areas is more than 72 percent lower than the County's overall median income of $51,574. In addition, according to the American Community Survey (ACS), the unemployment rate in 2014 for residents in Broward with disabilities was 21.3 percent compared to that year's unemployment rate of 5.8 percent.

"Job training and creation is essential to meeting our goals to improve the quality of life for our residents," said Assistant County Administrator Alphonso Jefferson, Jr. "This pilot program will work with our community partners to bring down an unacceptably high unemployment rate in economically distressed areas in Broward County. It will be a great collaboration that will be a foundation of support that we can rely on going forward."

About Broward Municipal Services District
Broward Municipal Services District, formerly known as Unincorporated Broward County, consists of 13.18 square miles area with a population of approximately 15,000. The Broward County Board of County Commissioners is the governing body of the district and the provider of its municipal services which include but are not limited to business development, road repairs, street enhancements, housing development, park and library improvements.