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.
- 5. Services provided to farmworkers and agricultural employers through the one-stop delivery system
Describe the State agency's proposed strategies for:
- 5. Services provided to farmworkers and agricultural employers through the one-stop delivery system
- 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. 5. C. Marketing the Agricultural Recruitment System for U.S. Workers (ARS) to agricultural employers and how it intends to improve such publicity.
Current Narrative:
In Washington State, 100 percent of employers that use the ARS participate in the H-2A program. While ESD has made efforts in the past to promote the ARS, employers not participating in H-2A communicate that they prefer not to be part of a voluntary system that subjects them to more regulatory scrutiny when they can recruit for agricultural workers outside of the workforce system.
As it relates to employers that participate in the ARS as part of the H-2A program, ESD has enhanced operation of the ARS with the implementation of the previously mentioned Office of Agricultural & Seasonal Workforce Services by implementing a robust field check system for participating employers and by enhancing the integrity of the domestic worker recruitment, referral and hiring processes. ESD publicizes aspects of the ARS as part of the implementation of this new office to employers, workers, and stakeholders.
In accordance with the ASWS committee’s recommendation that ESD facilitate a faster connection of workers and employers through process changes, including more direct and ongoing engagement with domestic job applicants, ASWS has contracted for a study aimed at learning more about how domestic workers seek farm jobs. ESD will analyze study findings and plan to implement measures that will facilitate the connection between domestic MSFWs and job openings. Moreover, the ASWS is currently prioritizing improving internal methodology involved in tracking MSFW job referrals and referral outcomes. This will enable the ASWS to better position resources for field checks.