Located in:
- Program-Specific Requirements for Wagner-Peyser Program (Employment Services)
All Program-Specific Requirements provided for the WIOA core programs in this section must be addressed for either a Unified or Combined State Plan.
e. 1. Assessment of Need. Provide an assessment of the unique needs of farmworkers in the area based on past and projected agricultural and farmworker activity in the State. Such needs may include but are not limited to: employment, training, and housing.
Current Narrative:
Due to the state not having dedicated outreach workers in the past, a true assessment of farmworker needs is a challenge. The state needs to become more aware of who the farmworkers are in their local workforce center areas and build relationships needed to understand where and what resources are necessary. What is known as of now is that farmworkers are in need of information pertaining to what resources their local workforce centers offer. From collaborating with the Kansas Statewide Farmworkers Health Program what has been stated is that farmworkers are unaware of the Employment Service and Employment Law complaint system. The state has received information that farmworkers are finding themselves in situations where they have been injured at their place of employment and are unaware of their worker rights or where to go for assistance to file a claim with the appropriate enforcement agency.
Another need from workforce centers is job search assistance. A case manager from the Migrant Education program shared that many families who arrive in the state come with only one adult in the household being employed while the other is in need of employment. The biggest barriers in finding employment are language barriers and transportation. Many come with families of five or more dependents making it difficult to find or afford childcare.
The state is in the process of selecting outreach staff in their local workforce centers to begin the needed outreach activities. Once outreach is being completed the state will be able to identify the needs of their farm workers.