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. Agricultural Outreach Plan (AOP). Each State agency must develop an AOP every four years as part of the Unified or Combined State Plan required under sections 102 or 103 of WIOA. The AOP must include an assessment of need. An assessment need describes 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.
- 4. Outreach Activities
The local offices outreach activities must be designed to meet the needs of MSFWs in the State and to locate and contact MSFWs who are not being reached through normal intake activities. Describe the State agency's proposed strategies for:
- 4. Outreach Activities
- e. Agricultural Outreach Plan (AOP). Each State agency must develop an AOP every four years as part of the Unified or Combined State Plan required under sections 102 or 103 of WIOA. The AOP must include an assessment of need. An assessment need describes 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.
e. 4. A. Contacting farmworkers who are not being reached by the normal intake activities conducted by the employment service offices
Current Narrative:
In Program Years 2020 to 2023, the Monitor Advocate will work with any and all groups to explore opportunities for strengthening partnerships to improve outreach. Outreach staff will continue to offer to speak at partners’ staff meetings and provide them with up–to–date information about workforce services and commitments. The Monitor Advocate will engage in conducting outreach activities alongside outreach workers, and conduct presentations to partner agencies. MFSW representatives will conduct traditional one–on–one outreach to farmworkers. This aspect of outreach will focus on directly reaching migrant farmworkers, including those living in labor camps. Oregon also has a population of farmworkers who require information in indigenous languages to effectively learn about workforce services.
MSFW outreach staff and WSO field staff do not sufficiently update and promote H2-A job listings with higher paying wages to the local domestic workforce. To improve this, WorkSource Oregon (WSO) centers will ensure that those higher paying agricultural jobs are visible and accessible to walk-in customers. OED will also looks for new and creative ways to promote H2-A job listings to the local domestic workforce. MSFW representatives will also continue to serve as advocates of the Complaint System to ensure that MSFWs are aware of all of their legal protections.
OED staff will assist MSFWs in applying for and filling out employment applications for positions listed with WSO. Staff will also refer registered MSFWs to appropriate and relevant WIOA title I partner agencies and to the local area National Farmworker Jobs Program (NFJP).
OED is leveraging outreach activities with our Section 167 partner, Oregon Human Development Corporation (OHDC), local interest groups, and employer groups through employer and worker forums, and farmworker support groups.
The department’s outreach goal for Program Year 2020 is to contact 30,000 MSFWs, and increase that number by 3% each Program Year through 2023. OED will look to reach an estimated 1,500 agricultural employers as the H2-A program continues to increase in Oregon. In Program Year 2018, SWA staff contacted 23,152 MSFWs.
Outreach staff have been provided training on the Agricultural Recruitment System (ARS) that includes regular agriculture listings and H2-A job listings. This training helps them work with employers, who increasingly need compliance education to navigate the H2-A application process which can be administratively complex.
The Monitor Advocate is active in conducting outreach activities, H2-A field visits, and field checks. Partner agency connections have been met with positive outcomes. Agencies that the SWA partners with to serve MSFWs and provide education and legal assistance include:
- National Farmworker Jobs Program;
- Community Colleges;
- College Assistance Migrant Program (CAMP);
- Statewide Migrant Head Start;
- Oregon Childhood Development Corp, MSFW State Childcare;
- Legal Aid for MSFWs;
- Oregon Law Center;
- Equal Employment Opportunity Commission;
- Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries;
- U.S. Department of Labor, Wage and Hour;
- U.S. Department of Justice;
- Centro Cultural; and
- Portland Mexican Consulate.