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Q&A
Revisions to civil service titles and language accessibility initiatives
0:37:51
·
4 min
Council Member de la Rosa inquires about revisions to civil service titles and language accessibility initiatives for non-English speakers. DCAS representatives explain efforts to expand minimum qualifications for titles and improve language accessibility in exam materials and recruitment.
- DCAS has completed a review of 90 civil service titles, with 61 titles revised to expand minimum qualifications, considering life experience as an equalizer.
- DCAS is working on translating notice of examinations into 190 languages, to be implemented by June of the current year.
- Recruitment materials are being converted into different languages to improve accessibility for non-English speakers.
Carmen de la Rosa
0:37:51
I wanted to ask you, you testified that, hold on let me find my number, that DGAS has completed the review of 90 civil service titles and there have been 61 that have been revised.
0:38:06
Can you give us a little more on those revisions and what those revisions entail?
Katrina Porter
0:38:11
So it's really more of an expansion, know taking a look at the minimum qualifications for specific titles and taking into consideration life experience as a equalizer to qualify for the title.
0:38:26
So I'll give you an example of staff analyst is a title that's used broadly across city government and before we expanded the MQRs, you needed a bachelor's degree to qualify, strictly bachelor's degree.
0:38:41
With the minimum qualification project, what we did was we expanded the minimum qualifications to include a high school diploma plus x number of years of experience to qualify for the title.
0:38:54
And so that's pretty much the lens at what through which we looked at the our title structure in collaboration with with labor, in collaboration with agency, with our agency partners.
0:39:06
You know we were able to make a tremendous strides.
0:39:09
So staff analyst is just one of those 61 titles that we expanded the minimum class.
Carmen de la Rosa
0:39:14
Great, good to hear.
0:39:16
I'm gonna ask two more questions and I'm gonna pass it to Chair Lewis and then we'll come back.
0:39:20
There's a lot of questions here but I wanted to ask about inclusivity.
0:39:24
In regards to inclusivity for individuals who speak English as a second language and I often talk about this at hearings or for those who have limited proficiency in English, what types of guidance for city employees that the dcast disseminate in non english languages?
0:39:39
For materials that are disseminated in non english language, are those materials available only in the 10 languages mandated by local authority or can translated materials be accessed upon the request at any in any language?
Katrina Porter
0:39:51
So I'm gonna turn it over to Katie in a minute just to talk about our recruitment practices, but I wanted to give you an update on an effort that DCAS is undertaking.
0:40:01
We are working to to have our notice of examinations translated into 190 languages and it's really thanks to your you know ideas and your advice around inclusivity in the work in the workforce.
0:40:16
So we're excited about this effort.
0:40:18
We're hopeful to have everything up and running by January, not January sorry, June of this year and you know that's just another step in the right direction to ensure that all folks have more access to civil service jobs.
Carmen de la Rosa
0:40:33
Thank you so much.
0:40:34
I really appreciate those efforts.
Farah N. Louis
0:40:35
Thank you.
Kadian Outar
0:40:36
And I just wanted to add from the recruitment standpoint, we looked at some of our materials that are evergreen and converted those to different languages depending on the population, so our brochure that provide an outline of, you know, how the civil service process, the exams, our FAQs, we also have an employee summary sheet, so we we're working with our partners to convert those independent on the location that we're going.
0:41:01
If we know that they are a particular language that is represented, then we'll bring those materials, but we do bring back home to the fact that, you know, the exams are will be in English, but we understand that that's a need.
Carmen de la Rosa
0:41:13
Yeah absolutely and we've had this conversation before but you know even instruction right when you are not an English speaker and you read an instruction in my case in Spanish, you understand that you're able to synthesize what they're asking you to do or what the instruction is, what the guide is.
0:41:30
Even if you're able to test take in english, right.
0:41:34
So in school I test take in english.
0:41:36
I spoke spanish at home.
0:41:38
It wasn't until I got it that I was like oh wait a minute, this is how you test take in English.
0:41:43
I could learn how to take a test.
0:41:45
You can learn those things but to synthesize the information that you're trying to capture sort of what is required of you in order to take that test, you know in your own language you're able to do that better.
0:41:59
And so I've seen people for example study for exams and have the material in Spanish or in another language and then respond in English.
0:42:09
It's just the way our brains work, right?
0:42:11
You hear it in the language that you're used to, you understand it and then you're able to process it and it comes out in English.
0:42:19
So it's helpful and I'm glad to see that our conversations have led to this change.
0:42:23
I think it's gonna have led to this change.
0:42:23
I think it's gonna be helpful just for people to understand what is required of them and then take that extra step to actually learn and take the test in English.
0:42:33
So thank you for doing that.
0:42:34
I'm gonna pass it Chair Lewis and then I'll come back.