SLATE Receives Full State Certification as One-Stop Job Center, Achieves High Customer Satisfaction Rates

The St. Louis Agency on Training and Employment (SLATE) Missouri Job Center recently became one of the first Job Centers in Missouri to be fully certified and designated as a One-Stop Job Center by the Missouri Department of Higher Education, Office of Workforce Development (OWD).

This certification acknowledges the SLATE St. Louis Job Center has met the rigorous criteria related to effectiveness, customer satisfaction, and continuous improvement, a requirement to be certified by the state of Missouri.

“I am humbled by this recognition of my team and the City of St. Louis by OWD and grateful for our partnership. The certification designation is a testament to the dedication and hard work demonstrated by the SLATE team and our remarkable partners. It shows that even in a national pandemic, we can accomplish great things by working together,” said SLATE Executive Director Howard Hayes. “This designation will allow SLATE to continue to be a valuable resource for our community and for those looking for work or career growth, and a critical resource for employers looking for recruiting assistance.”

Over the course of more than 10 weeks, the Certification Review Team (CRT), led by the St. Louis Workforce Development Board (SLWDB) Chair Lydia Padilla, conducted a thorough review of SLATE processes. They interviewed dozens of frontline staff and examined every certification criteria developed by the State WDB to evaluate the effectiveness, physical and programmatic accessibility, and continuous improvement of SLATE.

The CRT found SLATE scored in the 90 percentile range in job seeker and business services satisfaction, as measured by impartially conducted surveys.

“I knew Mr. Hayes and his staff were responsible for a significant amount of work, but I didn’t realize how much until we went through the certification process. After we went through the most exhausting checklist and verified everything that SLATE does to serve people of various needs, especially people with disabilities and non-English speakers, we were extremely comfortable in our determination that SLATE should be recommended for full certification,” said Chair Padilla.

SLATE Missouri Job Center is now certified as a comprehensive One-Stop Job Center until June 30th, 2023. To learn more about SLATE, our services, and programs, visit our website at www.stlworks.com.