Banking on KC – Erin Cole of Women's Employment Network: From Job Search to Life Change
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Kelly Scanlon: Welcome to Banking on KC. I'm your host, Kelly Scanlon. Thank you for joining us. With us on this episode is Erin Cole, the Chief Development Officer of the Women's Employment Network. Welcome, Erin.
Erin Cole: Hello.
Kelly Scanlon: So good to have you here. And, uh, I said Women's Employment Network. A lot of people know it by WEN and when you hear Women’s Employment Network, though a lot of people might think.
“Oh, they do career searches or job matches or resume polishing,” and you do do those things, but it's really so much more. So for our listeners who might not be familiar, why don't you talk about WEN role in Kansas City's workforce ecosystem and what makes your approach distinct?
Erin Cole: What makes WEN distinct is our ability to.
As it says in our name, create that network for women in Kansas City. So we're different from other programs because we're smaller. We're focused just on women and meeting that woman where she's at in terms of what she needs. So we often get questions like, well, what kind of jobs do you have? And I think that's kind of in line with some of the programs that are training people for a specific type of job.
And we're really wanting to take time with that individual woman and say. Where have you been? Where do you wanna go? What are your short and long-term goals? And then help that woman get there and taking care of her as a whole person. So that's the financial piece, that's the one-on-one support in terms of any kind of case management or barriers she might have to employment.
And then that's that one-on-one job search, support and coaching through the process, and ultimately connecting that woman with those employers we have in our network. We have relationships with that helps to kind of bridge that gap. Again, it's very similar to what many of individuals have as a network.
We're just plugging those women into ours.
Kelly Scanlon: Right. You talked about meeting women where they are. Right. Can you give us some examples of the range? You serve all women, but give us some examples of the range.
Erin Cole: Yeah we might have a woman who comes to us who is. New to the workforce. Maybe she's had a couple of jobs that she's underemployed.
They're not, they're not drawing on her skills. And then more often than not, what we're seeing as of the last five years is women who have stepped outta the workforce and are reentering because they're, taking care of children or aging parents. And so again, every woman's story is different.
Kelly Scanlon: Yeah. So, well even COVID notoriously impacted, uh, women in jobs, right. More than they did men.
Erin Cole: Right. Yeah. Because women are the ones that are gonna step out to take care of anything, or more than likely have a job that wasn't able to work from home or finding that someone had to provide childcare and education during that time.
Yeah. And you serve all socioeconomic sectors as well? Well, correct. Yeah. There's no, um, particular requirements of income or geographical location. We say if you can get to when. We'll serve you.
Kelly Scanlon: One of the things that, uh, is, is kind of unique is the relationships that you do form with not only the corporations or the companies that can provide jobs, but just with, um, other partnerships that you create within the community.
One of those is Country Club Bank. What has that partnership and some of the others that you have formed over the years, how those enhanced the organization and the women that you serve?
Erin Cole: I mean, Country Club Bank is kind of our most obvious largest partner. We're so fortunate to be in the space that we're in.
Toni Walsh and I actually met, 10 years ago.
Kelly Scanlon: Toni, Toni Walsh is the, uh, chief Human Resources Officer. Yes. Yeah,
Erin Cole: we were, it's, it's interesting how our, again, our networks are connected. Right? So Toni and I were on the board of a small daycare, um, TSOL House was also featured on the podcast. Yes.
And my children went to Tsal house. And Toni, knew about WEN was interested in, when joined our development committee and is now on the board. And, building that relationship allowed us to, when our lease was up at our other location, explore this idea. Country Club Bank also supports us with volunteers, always supportive of our job fairs.
And there's a whole community of support that's very similar. Yes, the women we serve would not be benefited by. You know, something as simple as just our staff reviewing their resumes.
Kelly Scanlon: Yeah. So those volunteers from the various workplaces that can come in and offer that expertise for you we're talking here just after a job fair that you had in May.
How did that go?
Erin Cole: I say great. It's a partnership again, not only for our clients in the greater Kansas City community, so we are the Women's Employment Network, but. Our job fair is open to any job seekers, so that includes men, um, people who aren't in our, currently in our program. Um, and then it's a great partnership for our employers and the companies.
I will say that the job fair, um, the number of companies present was less than it was last year. Um, there's a lot of things changing in the market and, and with our economy right now, um, and the job seekers were up. Um, and so we're. One of the things we're trying to do as part of this job fair and um. All of our programming is incorporate more ai.
Kelly Scanlon: Yes. I was gonna ask you about that because you introduced it at this job fair, right? Right. Yeah. Tell us, so tell us about that and um, how did attendees react to it? And I think you were headed on this path, but, but why is it important for jobs seekers, especially women who are reentering the workforce to get comfortable with it?
Erin Cole: Because it's the reality, you know? And there's a lot of apprehension, which I don't think is unwarranted always. I think it's good to take on any new technology, but some of the job seekers really wasn't even on their radar. Mm-hmm. And so that is our job to provide that kind of support, just like we would with anything else.
Um, we don't want our clients to be left behind as things are rapidly changing, right? And so we've started to incorporate AI into all of our workshops, and we have a partnership with Job Scan, which is an AI company that does a scan of. Resumes and cover letters. We have a partnership with them to allow for additional scans at no charge to our clients.
And so that's something that we're able to offer to kind of help bring our clients along just like we would with computer skills or anything in that market. And so because of all the ways that you can utilize ai, we're able to give some exposure to that. To our clients in every aspect of what we do, our concern for our clients is if your resume isn't formatted in a way that can get through those scans, your resume's never being seen by human eye.
Wow. We are concerned would disproportionately impact our women. Um, the women that we serve.
Kelly Scanlon: We hear a lot about workforce shortages and shifting labor. Trends, uh, you just spoke about the changes that you saw at the May job Fair. Uh, so from where you're sitting and what you're seeing, what's the current state of the workforce in Kansas City, and especially for women job seekers, what kind of support do they need most?
Right now
Erin Cole: I've worked, I. At the Women's Employment Network for 15 years, and I feel like the things that have impacted women have continued to be the same things, but been heightened since the pandemic. So the things that impact women are affordable. Childcare, I. Flexibility in the workplace and the ability to have access to jobs that will support them in that work-life balance.
That's where win steps in to show that those opportunities are possible and to really empower women that we work with to when you're in an interview to also. Interview the person who's interviewing you, right? Is this a good fit? Is this gonna, is this job gonna meet my budget? Am I gonna be able to support myself on this?
Um, and then also that support of, especially if you're reentering the workforce, you might need a job to get a job. Oh, yes. And so we pride ourselves on never closing a file. So the idea is that if you've shared with us your long-term goal is different from the job that you currently have. We will call you up if that job comes across our desk and connect you as long as you're staying connected to us.
So I think the work continues to be the same. I think what we're seeing with the May job Fair, a lot of uncertainty, but we're gonna just continue to be there for that for the long term.
Kelly Scanlon: You talked very broadly when we opened the show about WEN services. There's career coaching, financial wellness, and you kind of hinted at at it income support.
What are they, and then how do they work together to build the long-term stability that you're hoping to help these women achieve?
Erin Cole: After the pandemic, we really had to kind of switch how we were serving women. So 2019 we had a five week program that was five days a week. All day long and. Since that time we've been trying to meet the market, that's what we're always going to do.
So we have a program called Three Pillars, which meets three days a week for three hours a day, and it's kind of a condensed version of what we've always done. So a woman who comes to us will be assessed to see what her needs are and to ensure she's getting all the resources she needs from the community.
So whether that's support for her family. There's so many various needs that an individual has. Um, and then they'll meet one-on-one for job search support and for kind of that overarching look at their life. And through that program, they're able to connect with other women, which is really important.
We don't wanna lose sight of is the value of being in person, but again, meeting clients where they're at. So we also offer online workshops, which became really popular because the. Accessibility. We can't lose sight of Yeah. We want women to come in person three days a week for three hours. Well, that's not always feasible.
Right. Especially maybe you currently have a job and you just want something different. So we have one off workshops, someone can take it any time or they can take multiples of them. Um, and then we have another program called WEN, anytime. Similar in that it's a comprehensive program that supports all those key things that we in 38 years of service have put together that.
We believe prepares a woman to get that next job that she wants. Um, and that's all online and available anytime with our support, but just not in the day-to-day. It's kind of a more of a self-directed program,
Kelly Scanlon: but always with the ability of that participant to be able to call you or reach out to you for the one-on-one thing like that.
Erin Cole: Right, right. And that, to circle back to your original question. Our ultimate goal is for women to stick with us. Yeah. For us to be there in whatever capacity they want us for the long term. And truly, that's kind of the. The biggest benefits we see for women is when they stay connected to us. And, maybe that means five years from now they're reaching back out and saying, Hey, I really need to update my resume.
Do you still have a contact at this? Fill in the blank company. I, I, I think I might wanna get a job there. That's where we really shine and that's what we're hoping for and for them to build a network amongst themselves. Yeah.
Kelly Scanlon: Yeah, I've heard many of your graduates speak and hearing your graduates get up at the different events is what really makes the work that you're doing feel real.
It's, it's very tangible. So is there a recent success story that could you, you would say it really captures what win is all about? That within that, the 360 approach you take really shines.
Erin Cole: Yeah, and, and maybe it's just because it was recent, but at the luncheon Yes. We had a graduate who. So this individual came through the WIN program in the nineties and she happened to run into a staff member out in the community, and I think.
Recently, and I think what speaks to is we have WEN graduates everywhere. We've been around for nearly 40 years. And so for this woman to step forward and say, I wanna update you on how great things have been going with me. This woman came through the program is a very young adult. So she was a, a very young mom, had just graduated from high school, had a baby and had come to win and said, Hey, I need help.
We were able to support her on a path to now she as a school social worker and is able to give back and shared her journey about owning her own home. Having been married for 30 years. I mean, I, the child that when she came through WEN is now in their thirties. Um, oh, that's incredible. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And that's having been at one for 15 years as an employee myself.
When I first started, I, I was the one answering the phone and talking to women that were interested in getting help. And I would sometimes field calls from graduates and that was one of the things that surprised me the most is, Hey, I graduated five years ago. I. I'm looking for a job, and or things aren't going well.
Is, is Ms. Tanya still there? Can I talk to her? It, it's just a, a network of support.
Kelly Scanlon: Speaking of success stories, uh, you've had a fascinating professional journey yourself. Uh, one that's gone from social work to and, and advocacy, which. So very important. And to your current role now, it's chief development, uh, person there at Winn.
So what brought you to this mission to begin with and how have the past roles influenced what you're doing today?
Erin Cole: Yeah, so when I set out in my, my Life journey, it's so funny, I can relate to the women who come to us so much because. I really didn't know what I wanted to do. I went through school and I ended up getting a master's in social work and I worked for nearly six years as a probation officer.
Tough job. And even looking back now, I think, I can't believe they let a little 20 something do that kind of work, but it was ultimately about connecting individuals with resources. And at a certain point I just, I wasn't comfortable working in the system anymore. And so I started looking for other employment opportunities.
And I had run into a woman who worked for Wynn at a, at a resource fair, had never heard of Wynn. And on my journey of trying to find a new employment, I had had a conversation with, he's my husband now, but at the time it was just my boyfriend. And he said, well, if you could work anywhere where, where would you wanna work?
And I said. Well, I think it would be awesome to work at Winn, but they're so small and they never have any turnover. And so just a couple months later, the job came open and I was able to apply and my vision as a chief development officer, um, and being able to tell the client's story. So having started working one-on-one with clients and then had the opportunity to then move up into a role where I was supervising some program staff for a period of time.
Before I moved into this role. It really has just informed me with how to tell our client story to funders, the community, but also to understand the unique needs and challenges of our clients because I've worked with them. Yes. And understand kind of that macro level view of how all of these things come together and what, how do we keep up to date and informed and available to our clients Breaking news.
I've also had the opportunity. Um, now to step into the role of Chief Operating Officer. Oh, well, congratulations. Yeah. So very, very recent it sounds like. Yes, very recent. Okay. Um, um, I have such a heart for the program and it'll allow me to kind of expand to supporting the ins and outs of everything that we do to really, again, meet the needs of our clients every day.
Kelly Scanlon: Talk about the ways that the community can plug in of our listeners. Say, Hey, this is something I'd like to get behind. What are the various ways that you have available that they can do that? I know, I know. Supporting the luncheon, your big annual fundraiser, which you just had is one of them. Which by the way, I'd be remiss if I didn't say that.
That is what, among the top three lunches. Yeah, we've been the number
Erin Cole: one the last two years. Yeah. Uh, and it's very pr. I'm proud of it because it's a net dollars raised. Yes. So those dollars. We're staying with our clients. There's so many ways to get involved whether that's just, the easiest thing is to sign up for our new newsletter and, and see what we have going on.
We have volunteer opportunities. We have other smaller events to connect with us and plug in if you're. An employer who's hiring or wanna just have a presence at the job fair, we have those opportunities. Again, there'll be an opportunity again in October. Those ways are, are gonna continue to change and expand.
So I think just staying connected to us is the best way.
Kelly Scanlon: Talk about, um, volunteers. You mentioned the, the resume, uh, mock interviews I'm assuming would be an opportunity. What other kinds of things you're looking for in.
Erin Cole: Um, resume and mock interviews is kind of our focus right now. Those are the immediate needs of our clients.
We are looking for interesting ways to do that. So we're talking about Zoom mock interviews because that's a reality our clients are, um, facing and then panel interviews. And so that's an opportunity for a group of individuals from the same company to volunteer their time.
Kelly Scanlon: So the luncheon is a great way to raise money, but you also have the legacy circle.
Erin Cole: Yes, we have a small giving circle. Essentially that means someone is making a commitment. For three years. There's three different levels. So you can donate come in at $500 a year and that can be a monthly donation and it really helps us to know where that support is coming from and on a monthly basis.
And truly individual donations make up a lot of what we do right. And we are able to have, um, opportunities to connect with our Legacy Circle members as well, which is a great way to be more intimately connected to the work we do and really see that impact. Looking ahead, uh, you've been at this now nearly
Kelly Scanlon: 40 years, but looking ahead,
yes.
Where's WEN headed?
Erin Cole: WEN is headed wherever the market is headed and we're gonna be there for women. I talked about ai, so we're looking to incorporate more ai. We, um, have an AI certificate program in the works to do some basic introduction to AI for our clients. And so that would be an opportunity that's really new and fresh, so that'll be an opportunity that we'll have in front of our clients very shortly.
Kelly Scanlon: Well, it sounds like an exciting new development, one that's, that's, uh, really very much needed, as you said, with, uh, some of the way technology is changing and could help, or could hinder. Right. Whether or not you get in front of the people that can make that hiring decision. Right. Your website, KCWEN.org has.
All the information we've talked about today, as well as many other things, success stories and ways to contribute and so forth. So casey winn.org if you're interested in that. But Erin, most of all, again, congratulations on your promotion and for to you and Sherry and the rest of the team who is doing such great work, uh, out there in the community and helping support women who are looking for jobs, I really appreciate that.
Yeah, thank you.
Joe Close: This is Joe Close, president of Country Club Bank. Thank you to Aaron Cole for being our guest on this episode of Banking on KC Aaron and the team at Women's Employment Network are creating pathways for women to succeed meeting them where they are offering personalized career support and surrounding them with a network that extends well beyond job placement.
From financial wellness to resume coaching to AI readiness WIN is helping women across Kansas City not only find jobs, but build long-term stability and confidence. Country Club Bank is proud to partner with the Women's Employment Network by providing shared space, volunteer engagement and community support.
Together we're helping remove barriers and open doors for women throughout our region. Thanks for tuning in this week we're Banking on You, Kansas City. Country Club Bank - Member FDIC.