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2 Year Modification

Plan: New Mexico PYs 2018-2019
Combined Plan C

Section: Adult, Dislocated Worker, and Youth Activities

Narrative: a. 2. D.

Published
Located in:

a. 2. D. Describe How the State Provides Early Intervention (e.g., Rapid Response) to Worker Groups on Whose Behalf a Trade Adjustment Assistance (taa) Petition Has Been Filed. (section 134(a)(2)(a).) This Description Must Include How the State Disseminates Benefit Information to Provide Trade-affected Workers in the Groups Identified in the Taa Petitions with an Accurate Understanding of the Provision of Taa Benefits and Services in Such a Way That They Are Transparent to the Trade-affected Dislocated Worker Applying for Them (trade Act Sec. 221(a)(2)(a) and Sec. 225; Governor- Secretary Agreement). Describe How the State Will Use Funds That Have Been Reserved for Rapid Response to Provide Services for Every Worker Group That Files a Taa Petition.

View corresponding narrative from PYs 2016-2017

Current Narrative:

THE TRADE ADJUSTMENT ASSISTANCE (TAA) PROGRAM. The TAA program is a federal program that provides a path for employment growth and opportunity through aid to U.S. workers who have lost their jobs as a result of foreign trade. The State provides early intervention to worker groups on whose behalf a TAA petition has been filed. A petition must be filed with the U.S. Department of Labor by or on behalf of a group of workers who have lost or may lose their jobs or experienced a reduction in wages as a result of foreign trade. After the Department of Labor investigates the facts behind the petition, it applies statutory criteria to determine whether foreign trade was an important cause of the threatened or actual job loss or wage reduction. If the Department grants the petition to certify the worker group, individual workers in the group may apply for TAA benefits and services through the Workforce Connection Centers. TAA offers a variety of benefits and services to support workers in their search for reemployment, including opportunities to obtain the skills, resources, and support they need to become reemployed. The program benefits and services available to individual workers are administered by the State. Program eligibility, technical assistance, and oversight are conducted by state merit staff. This includes job training, job search and relocation allowances, income support, and assistance with healthcare premium costs. These services are administered by cooperating state agencies using federal funds.

TAA participants come from a variety of backgrounds and industries, and therefore many enter the program with a wide array of skills and experience. However, the majority of TAA participants who enter the program face similar challenges in obtaining reemployment, which can include no post-secondary degree, job skills solely in the manufacturing sector, and an average age of 46 with over 12 years of experience in a specific job that may no longer exist. The TAA program has been developed through legislation, regulation, and administrative guidance to best serve the needs of this unique population.

The State administers the Trade Adjustment Assistance Program in both Albuquerque and Silver City, which pays for 100 percent of books, tuition, fees, and supplies for qualified individuals. In 2015, New Mexico was awarded a $15 million grant from the Department of Labor’s Trade Adjustment Assistance Community College and Career Training (TAACCCT), called the New Mexico Skill Up Network: Pathways Acceleration in Technology and Health Care (SUN PATH). Participants include TAA workers, veterans and low-skilled adults. The grant funds half the salaries and office space of seven of the State’s Employment Services staff who work with the consortium of New Mexico colleges as job development coaches. The goals of the grant are to:

  • expand capacity and systemic improvements in the delivery of healthcare career pathways that align with industry needs.
  • increase the attainment of degrees, certifications, and industry-recognized credentials; and
  • create strategic alignment between education and workforce systems, resulting in improved employment outcomes, retention, and average earnings.