Narrative: e. 3. B.

TWC’s Agricultural Services Unit (ASU) partners with agricultural associations to provide educational seminars for employers. ASU distributes information on various employment topics such as the ES complaint system. TWC may assist in locating resources and speakers for these educational events. Through these seminars and other interactions with agricultural employers, TWC strives to expand and improve ASU services.

Outreach specialists assist with work registration and job leads, information about the complaint system, and assistance with submitting complaints and referrals for support services. Outreach specialists in certain Workforce Solutions Offices have iPads and laptops, and thus are better equipped to provide live job searches and job posting referrals.

Year-round outreach activities are conducted in MSFW-significant Workforce Solutions Offices. Workforce Solutions Office staff responsible for outreach gains familiarity with the labor market and needs of local MSFWs. To be most effective, outreach specialists must understand the issues unique to MSFWs and have English- and Spanish-speaking capability.

Outreach specialists:

• contact MSFWs to explain the services available at Workforce Solutions Offices;
• notify MSFWs of job openings and of their rights and benefits under state and federal employment-related laws;
• provide information on the Employment Service (ES) complaint system, including sexual harassment;
• assist MSFWs in filing work registrations/applications, preparing worker complaints, and arranging appointments and transportation;
• provide information about services available through electronic means and how to access this information;
• identify qualified MSFWs seeking employment, according to guidelines of the federal regulations at 20 CFR Parts 651, 653, and 658. The initial and follow-up outreach contacts are made to assist MSFWs in becoming employed or improving their employability;
• contact agricultural and nonagricultural employers, program operators, community- and faith-based organizations, and education and training providers on behalf of MSFWs;
• present information to school students about migrant education programs in the state;
• outreach with local public and private community agencies and MSFW organizations to establish community referral networks;
• provide advocacy group presentations;
• coordinate with other office partners in serving MSFWs;
• distribute MSFW-assistance brochures;
• perform joint outreach and recruitment missions with National Farmworker Jobs Program (NFJP) grantees;
• attend staff training conducted by U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) Employment and Training Administration (DOLETA), Wage and Hour Division;
• present and participate in meetings with the Texas A&M University’s Colonias Program and Center for Housing and Urban Development (this includes the Promotora program);
• solicit jobs, training opportunities, and employment-related services for MSFWs;
• provide agricultural and nonagricultural employers with information, services, and assistance related to labor issues and needs;
• accept job postings while performing outreach activities in the field;
• refer MSFWs to the nearest Workforce Solutions Office to receive services;
• if there is a job or jobs available for referral, refer qualified MSFWs from the MSFW Outreach Log and from previous contacts through follow-up activities; and
• when there are no job openings available for referral of MSFWs to suitable employment, select qualified MSFWs from the MSFW Outreach Log and offer a job development plan to enhance the MSFWs’ applications with additional/transferable occupational skills, and matching options for nonagricultural jobs.

To meet agricultural employers’ needs, Texas Workforce Solutions will continue to improve the agricultural referral process, including, but not limited to:

• integrating services for farmworkers and agricultural employers and workers;
• identifying workers who are job-ready when arriving at the worksite;
• providing employers with industry information, farmworkers’ rights, and support services;
• engaging agricultural employers to determine short- and long-term employment and training needs;
• assisting employers in analyzing state and local peak production seasons and recruiting an adequate labor supply;
• collaborating and coordinating with the Texas Department of Agriculture, Rural Development, to increase viability and sustainability in agricultural areas of the state; and
• using the job-matching process for temporary agricultural work on an intrastate and/or interstate basis through ARS.*

*Texas is primarily a labor supply state for ARS.

TWC has created a variety of communication resources to support Texas Workforce Solutions partners in providing meaningful service to agricultural employers and farmworkers. These communication resources are intended to help find solutions to their employment and training needs. TWC provides these resources in several ways, such as:

• electronic service;
• media and printed information; and
• organizational coordination.

Additionally, TWC’s Agricultural Services Unit (ASU) partners with agricultural associations to provide educational seminars for employers. ASU distributes information on various employment topics such as the ES complaint system. TWC may assist in locating resources and speakers for these educational events. Through these seminars and other interactions with agricultural employers, TWC strives to expand and improve ASU services.

ASU also produces the Texas Directory of Farm and Ranch Associations. This annual publication lists contact information for state organizations with agricultural business interests.

This and other resources are available on TWC’s website at http://www.twc.state.tx.us/svcs/agri/directory.pdf. Additionally, TWC’s website links to numerous agriculture-related reports.

Agricultural employer and farmworker services are based on each Board’s service delivery plan. The plan details programs that the Board provides through Workforce Solutions Offices under its direction. Additionally, Boards have established Business Services Units (BSUs) to reach out to employers. BSUs strive to understand the needs of their business communities, including agricultural employers, by collaborating with MSFW outreach workers, community partners, chambers of commerce, and industry associations.

BSUs are charged with helping businesses recruit qualified farmworkers and helping job seekers gain employment suited to their skills. The Boards address the following issues:

• Lack of transportation to worksites—Board staff and Workforce Solutions Office staff work with community- and faith-based organizations and other entities to provide temporary transportation services during peak agricultural seasons.
• Limited knowledge of state/federal employment laws and regulations—Workforce Solutions Office staff hosts forums to educate employers and agricultural crew leaders on state/federal laws and regulations.
• Lack of efficient use of local human resources—Workforce Solutions Office staff facilitates communication among growers, such as cooperatives, on farmworkers’ specific needs. One resource is the AgriLife County Extension Agent.
• Lack of skilled workers—Workforce Solutions Office staff coordinates short-term training on local crops and farming (e.g., forklift certification, food safety, and commercial driver’s license (CDL)).
• Lack of facilities/staff to screen and interview potential farmworkers—Workforce Solutions Office staff provides space in the Workforce Solutions Office for agricultural employers to interview workers. Workforce Solutions Office staff also provides intake and referral activities at the growers’ locations.
• Limited administration of farm labor contractors—Workforce Solutions Office staff provides forms and instructions for completing crew leader registration, ensures that farm labor contractors’ registration cards are current, and maintains crew leader logs in the Workforce Solutions Offices.
• Limited or inadequate housing—ARS requires employers to provide no-cost housing to workers who cannot reasonably return to their place of residence after work each day. This is one of the challenges employers face when using ARS, especially in providing housing options suitable for families. TWC participates in MET’s Regional Farmworker Housing Summit; MET is the housing grant coordinator for the NFJP grantee under the WIOA §167 housing grant for Texas. This regional summit illustrates the valuable collaboration undertaken with housing authority municipalities and nonprofits throughout Texas.

MSFWs in Texas often face poverty, low academic achievement, limited English proficiency, and inadequate job training and readiness, as well as various social problems. The Texas workforce system’s approach focuses on those barriers to acquire and retain productive employment. To this end, Workforce Solutions Offices reaffirm existing community partnerships and continuously establish new community partnerships to meet the needs of local businesses and MSFWs, while providing job seekers with job search workshops, job placement services, referrals, and support services.