Q&A
Discussion of Civil Service Ambassador Program report and outreach efforts
1:01:04
ยท
5 min
Council Member Carmen N. De La Rosa and Assistant Commissioner Kadian Outar discuss the Civil Service Ambassador Program report, focusing on DCAS's outreach efforts and challenges in promoting civil service opportunities across New York City boroughs.
- They address the reduction in youth workforce events and the discrepancies in outreach across boroughs, particularly in Staten Island.
- Assistant Commissioner Outar explains the targeted approach to outreach and the challenges in engaging different communities.
- Plans for improving outreach, including upcoming events in underserved areas like Staten Island, are discussed.
Carmen N. De La Rosa
1:01:04
The first one is the civil service ambassador program, local law, 2023 local law 2 of 2023.
1:01:11
At the end of 2024, we received the report on the Civil Service Ambassador Program.
1:01:17
This report requires DCAS's Office of Citywide Recruitment to report on various education and outreach efforts that department has engaged in at the civil service pathways across the city during the prior fiscal year.
1:01:31
We're very appreciative of your work, of the work you did to promote public service work at these events and just wanted to touch base on some of the most interesting points
Oren Barzilay
1:01:41
that
Carmen N. De La Rosa
1:01:41
we saw in the report in on f y 24.
1:01:45
We noted that a key area of growth was a type of forums at which you conducted outreach events, particularly the inclusion of shelters and trade schools.
1:01:55
However, while there were increases in events held at the adult workforce and career training programs, we noticed a significant reduction in the events held at youth workforce and career training programs, going from 20 events in 2023 to only 3 events in 2024.
1:02:11
Could you explain why the amount of outreach done at those events was significantly impacted?
Kadian Outar
1:02:18
Thank you for that question, and, glad that you had an opportunity to review the report.
1:02:24
We when we think about the outreach that we need to do for local law 2 and all of the other local laws, we try to be very targeted in our outreach and look at where there were gaps and try to shore up on them.
1:02:37
Kind of if I can explain the process of us engaging communities, the team does a lot of research to identify organization schools, drop in centers, and folks that we can connect with.
1:02:48
Then they start the process by reaching out and sending, you know, initial emails here.
1:02:52
We're at DCAS.
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This is what we do.
1:02:54
We'd love to communicate with you.
1:02:55
Sometimes we get responses that are right away, yay.
1:02:58
I'm interested.
1:02:59
Other times, it may take several follow ups.
1:03:01
And so we try to make sure that we're always reaching out and engaging.
1:03:06
And so while there may be a dip in the youth workforce, that may be an increase because now we're identifying and working with schools.
1:03:14
And now we are increasing the outreach that we're doing in other areas.
1:03:18
Sometimes it's also dependent on when folks reach out to us.
1:03:22
So we always try to make sure that we're hitting all of the different populations, but it's a challenge sometimes in terms of, you know, sticking to one particular population.
Carmen N. De La Rosa
1:03:31
Okay.
1:03:31
Got it.
1:03:32
In the table where the civil service pathway engagement events are laid out, we know that we note that some events are labeled as other, signifying events held in partnership with other city agencies and community boards.
1:03:44
Could you please elaborate on the types of events you conducted with city agencies or community boards?
1:03:49
Were they hiring halls or educational outreach events?
Kadian Outar
1:03:53
So it could be listed as both.
1:03:54
We don't necessarily include hiring halls or career fairs where we're not conducting.
1:03:59
Okay.
1:03:59
We will service 1 on 1 sessions in this report, because of the requirements of the report.
1:04:04
But for example, it could be the Department of Youth and Community Development for their summer youth employment, program.
1:04:10
We will do information sessions for them.
1:04:13
We would do a city talk panels for them.
1:04:15
We do different information sessions for the community boards.
1:04:18
We may go out and do an information session for them, so that's why we include them under the other category.
Carmen N. De La Rosa
1:04:24
Okay.
1:04:25
The report specifies that the outreach events that were held across the 5 boroughs were not necessarily consistent.
1:04:31
For example, Manhattan and Brooklyn had 14 events each, whilst 99 only had 3.
1:04:38
The report describes the discrepancy as being due to challenges in the first half of the fiscal year.
1:04:43
But could you please elaborate on what those challenges were?
1:04:46
While we recognize that there are definitely preferences for virtual presentations or limitations based on partner organization.
1:04:53
I feel that it is unlikely that our neighbors in Staten Island have such an overwhelming preference for virtual events or other events that don't fall under the purview of the ambassador program when compared to residents in the other 4 boroughs to merit, like, this deep disc discrepancy described?
Kadian Outar
1:05:12
Yes.
1:05:12
Thank you.
1:05:13
And so it also goes to the outreach and the responsiveness responsiveness of those outreach.
1:05:18
So we have different staff members that are responsible for reaching out to different boroughs, and they all are very, intentional in reaching out to whether it's schools, whether it's organizations.
1:05:29
Sometimes it's the responsiveness of those organizations.
1:05:33
We found that, you know, in the previous year report, we had a low representation in, in the Bronx or Staten Island.
1:05:40
So we increased our outreach there.
1:05:42
And as a result, you will see it's always going to be a shift because we have to figure out where do we need to go.
1:05:47
So you may see an increase in Manhattan or increase in the Bronx, but a decrease in Manhattan because we're trying to figure out the best place for us to be.
1:05:54
But what the team has been doing is figuring out more creative ways to reach out to different communities.
1:06:01
So we always have to is it schools?
1:06:04
CUNY schools, they were an issue.
1:06:06
So now we ramped up that effort.
1:06:07
Where are the CUNY schools?
1:06:08
In Staten Island, there may be only one.
1:06:10
You may see additional ones in Queens or in the Bronx.
1:06:14
So the team is very intentional in their outreach.
1:06:17
Staten Island, we are on it.
1:06:19
We are actually the team right now.
1:06:21
I have a couple of events that they're planning, including one I wrote the council member's name here, but I can't find it now.
1:06:27
But we're doing one in March with the Staten Island, council member on Staten Island at borough the Staten Island Borough Hall.
1:06:33
Great.
1:06:33
So we are actively reaching out.
Carmen N. De La Rosa
1:06:34
Okay.