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. C. Increasing outreach worker training and awareness across core programs including the Unemployment Insurance (UI) program and the training on identification of UI eligibility issues
Current Narrative:
LWC utilizes a variety of methods for staff training for the delivery of core services. The most effective is through a combination of training seminars, group sessions, and the provision of self-paced training materials. Training on the identification of and the provision of services to MSFWs will be provided through a combination of training at annual state conferences, on-site training, webinars and conference calls to be determined after an assessment of effectiveness and feasibility, with training to staff statewide by the end of PY2022. The training will be conducted in conjunction with WIOA training to as great a degree as possible, to foster a seamless delivery of services to MSFWs as compared to non-MSFW populations. MSFW partner organizations will be invited to participate so they may learn more about One-Stop services and develop more ways to coordinate services with the SWA. Likewise, partners will be invited to conduct training on their programs and services to promote and enhance MSFW services.
Providing services to target groups, e.g., MSFWs or veterans, is incorporated into the training. The LWC University, a set of online staff training modules, is one method of self-paced training for the provision of services to MSFWs.
The State of Louisiana provides an online platform Louisiana Employees Online (LEO), for Civil Service, programmatic, and professional training. LWC has professional training courses on LEO for each of its major programs and requires at least 20 professional training hours per year for each employee. The modules in HIRE are available to all SWA staff and partners. Workforce GPS provides access to various other MSFW materials and information, e.g., ES Complaint System forms and instructions, posters, and the Migrant and Seasonal Protection Act. During training sessions, staff will be directed to these training modules for further training and encouraged to retake the training occasionally to refresh their knowledge.
For many decades, the state Unemployment Insurance (UI) program was co-located in offices that also provided Wagner-Peyser and WIA services. This arrangement created a situation where offices activities were dominated by UI activities, to the detriment of job training and placement services. This system also required UI claimants to travel, sometimes long distances, to an office for services.
In 2005, the LWC implemented a centrally operated UI system utilizing an online computerized system and a statewide Call Center. UI services have been removed from Louisiana One-Stop Centers to allow the Center staff to focus solely upon job training, job placement, and related career services. Since a claimant can gain access to the UI system from anywhere, the need for a local presence was no longer needed.
The UI system initially operated separately from the SWA labor exchange system, but continued the requirement that UI claimants register for work and conduct a job search or engaged in training. For the last several years, LWC has been integrating UI and Workforce Development (WD) system services through the Helping Individuals Reach Employment (HIRE) online labor exchange and training services system. Upon registering in HIRE, the WD and UI systems are tied into certain automated support activities. For example, upon registration, a UI claimant is automatically profiled for job matching (e.g., the last occupation) and a list of potential employment opportunities within a 25-mile radius is sent to them for consideration. This feature alone has resulted in an average shortened period of unemployment.
UI claimants may file online or by phone at One-Stop Centers. One-Stop Center staff provide instruction to UI claimants on how to apply for UI services and assist claimants while filing their claims. Further UI services, such as eligibility issues, are provided through the UI Call Center. The online UI application system is available in Spanish. The UI Call Center has bi-lingual staff that offers translation services in Spanish.
All One-Stop staff and workforce partners have been thoroughly trained on the integrated HIRE system (OWD/UI). One-Stop workers regularly provide UI eligibility awareness and may incorporate UI claims income into their individualized service plans.