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. B. Providing technical assistance to outreach staff. Technical assistance must include trainings, conferences, additional resources, and increased collaboration with other organizations on topics such as one-stop center services (i.e. availability of referrals to training, supportive services, and career services, as well as specific employment opportunities), the Employment Service and Employment-Related Law Complaint System (“Complaint System” described at 20 CFR 658 Subpart E), information on the other organizations serving MSFWs in the area, and a basic summary of farmworker rights, including their rights with respect to the terms and conditions of employment.
Current Narrative:
Technical assistance to outreach workers: Outreach functions are tied to the service delivery areas where farm workers and agricultural employers live, work, and congregate. Service delivery strategies aim to assist farm workers’ efforts to achieve integration and self–sufficiency. Outreach workers are trained in and seek to provide a full range of American Job Center services and resources to the agricultural communities including, but not limited to; skills assessments, career guidance, basic skills remediation and vocational training, educational opportunities, job search assistance, and supportive services.
Outreach staff will gain extensive knowledge of farm work in order to ensure high levels of awareness and sensitivity to the socio-economic and cultural nuances that exist within the agricultural communities. With a majority of farmworkers working in isolated geographic pockets in Maine and Spanish being the primary language spoken among the farm worker population withan increase of Haitian speaking crews finding work in Maine’s service delivery areas, the SWA works closely with the NFJP grantee and other Farmworker Resource Network providers to effectively outreach and serve MSFWs.
In accordance with Part 653.107 (k), outreach workers will be trained in local office procedures and in the services, benefits, and protections afforded MSFWs by the ES. They will also be trained in procedure for the informal resolution of complaints. The program for such training shall be formulated by the State Administrator, pursuant to uniform guidelines developed by the ETA, and each State’s program shall be reviewed and commented in advance by the SMA. The SMA, who works in close tandem with outreach workers and American Job Center partners, annually attends training conferences on a national level offered by the office of the National Monitor Advocate and on a Regional level offered by the Regional Monitor Advocate. Both venues provide opportunity to engage with Federal agencies collaborating with MSFW activities, provide resource materials for reference, review statutory requirements and support development and updating SWA training materials and MSFW service delivery best practices.
Additional Training Considerations for Outreach Workers, Wagner Peyser and One-Stop partners staff:
- Sexual Harassment in the Fields
- Discrimination
- OSHA Compliance
- Apparent Violations
- Human Trafficking
- Food Safety
- Pesticides
- Field Checks and Cultural Diversity