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. 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:
Current Narrative:
Arkansas strives to continue improvement interacting with and providing assistance to our MSFW community. Arkansas is not designated as a significant MSFW state due to the low percentage of MSFWs identified. Previously, most contact with MSFWs is through our National Farmworker Jobs Program (NFJP) grantee. However, in January 2020, we began identifying, training and assigning state merit center staff who meet the required qualifications for an outreach worker and who are currently working in areas of high MSFW activity. These outreach workers will work under the direct supervision of our Statewide Targeted Populations Outreach Coordinator. Upon completion of outreach training, these staff will begin locating and contacting MSFWs in their assigned area of the state, as part-time outreach workers. During the periods of highest MSFW activity, these workers will be conducting more full-time outreach activity. This outreach activity will be revisited a minimum of once a year to review data collected and determine if the number of outreach workers or their locations need to be adjusted.
Our Targeted Populations Advisor and State Monitor Advocate have been developing additional partnerships which will provide more sources for dissemination of information about the Arkansas Workforce System and available partners services, training opportunities, and MSFW rights, health and safety information. Additional resources for potential outreach activities include the Arkansas Department of Human Services, the Arkansas Department of Education, Legal Aid of Arkansas, the Mexican Consulate, HOLA Arkansas, Catholic Charities, and various regional and local health, medical and charitable organizations which serve the MSFWs.
Finally, we have reached out to regional Agricultural Employer Groups and Associations and begun attending their meetings to provide program information that can be shared with MSFWs.