Title
Mobile Career Unit Update
Description
This report provides Economic Development and Housing Subcommittee with an update of the Mobile Career Unit (MCU) program.
THIS ITEM IS FOR INFORMATION AND DISCUSSION.
Report
Background
The Bloomberg Philanthropies' Global Mayors Challenge is an innovation competition designed to spark innovative, replicable ideas that will help cities confront challenges. Bloomberg Philanthropies announced the City of Phoenix as one of 15 cities receiving the 2021-2022 Global Mayors Challenge Award for the MCU, which helps unemployed residents overcome barriers and obtain employment.
Summary
The MCU uses a data-driven approach to match residents to employment opportunities and wraparound services targeted to their individual employment needs and barriers. The goal is to help communities get hired into meaningful jobs while providing targeted support for long-term professional development and success. This goal is accomplished by executing three key strategies:
- Provide job seekers with direct access to job openings aligned to their qualifications, income needs, and lifestyle considerations to improve employment rates and financial stability.
- Provide residents with access to professional development opportunities and wraparound services to address skills-based and structural barriers to employment, enhance career readiness, and improve the pipeline of qualified workers for Phoenix employers.
- Provide employers direct access to a pool of qualified and enthused job seekers to improve employee hiring, retention, and satisfaction.
By addressing unique employment barriers, the MCU helps participants to build professional confidence, develop job readiness skills, and provide access to right-fit employment opportunities. This project improves employment rates and paves a path to economic security. Updates to the program include:
- The MCU, a custom coach-style 38-foot recreational vehicle, was scheduled for delivery last month.
- New ACR GIS mapping tool will be used to target MCU event locations.
- The MCU team met its initial program goal of 208 conditional job offers by June 2025 in June 2024. The revised goal is 425 conditional job offers by June 2025.
Concurrence/Previous Council Action
- City Council authorized an application for the Bloomberg Philanthropies 2021 Global Mayors Challenge on March 17, 2021.
- City Council authorized the purchase of the Phoenix Mobile Career Unit vehicle from Farber Specialty Vehicles on July 1, 2022.
Department
Responsible Department
This item is submitted by Deputy City Manager John Chan and the Community and Economic Development Department.