Few employers provide career counseling for employees. If help is provided to workers who are being displaced, it is usually confined to job-search workshops. Of 13 recommendations to the federal government, three addressed counseling, and five mentioned support services. Since a large proportion of older workers who have been affected, their needs are emphasized in the counseling and support services which are provided, resulting in a placement rate which is dramatically higher than usually experienced by older workers. Counseling is provided individually and in groups.
Group counseling is important for emotional support and for learning from one another's experiences.
The action centers are the focal points of all services and their schedules correspond to those of the workers'. Services are provided in a worker's first language when possible. In addition to the usual assessment procedures, workers are continuously assessed on an informal basis since their needs change throughout the transition process. Initially, program staff provide informal assessments by walking around the plant and chatting with workers in the cafeteria. These are invaluable in developing understanding of the work environment, workers' duties and relationships, and the corporate culture, all of which influence the transition process.