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. 6. A. Collaboration
Describe any collaborative agreements the state workforce agency (SWA) has with other MSFW service providers including NFJP grantees and other service providers. Describe how the SWA intends to build upon/increase collaboration with existing partners and in establishing new partners over the next four years (including any approximate timelines for establishing agreements or building upon existing agreements).
Current Narrative:
There are nine Migrant Resource Councils (MRCs) in the state, and they are in Michigan’s main agricultural regions. The MRCs are comprised of representatives from state and local agencies, non-profit service providers, farmworker legal groups, and growers. As members of their local MRCs, Agricultural Employment Liaisons (AELs) exchange information regarding services available, make and receive referrals for services, identify unmet needs, and strategize with other members to maximize outreach activities and address the needs of the Migrant and Seasonal Farmworkers (MSFWs). The AELs will continue to partner with these agencies, either through referrals for services and/or active participation on outreach visits.
Michigan has numerous stable and growing partnerships with many organizations that provide employment and quality-of-life services to MSFWs. Some of the partners are in the Michigan Works! Service Centers (MWSCs), allowing for easy access by MSFWs. For agencies not located within the MWSC, a referral process is established. Most partnerships exist on an informal basis through outreach collaboration at the local level; however, the Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity, Workforce Development (LEO-WD) continues to pursue opportunities to establish or build upon existing agreements through leveraging supportive service programs and resources.
Over the next four years, LEO-WD’s MSFW Outreach Program will continue to maintain solid collaboration with all MSFW service providers. Besides the active required Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the National Farmworker Jobs Program (NFJP), the LEO-WD intends to secure additional MOUs with the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) Farmworker Outreach Services Division (FOSD) and Michigan’s Migrant Education Program (MEP). In the first year of the four-year cycle, the State Workforce Agency (SWA) will meet with NFJP and make appropriate changes to the renewal of the current MOU. Thereafter, revisions and adjustments will be made annually. During the first year of the four-year cycle the SWA will meet with the MDHHS newly formed FOSD to establish an MOU. By the second year of the four-year cycle, the SWA will continue to pursue MOUs with existing MSFW service providers, and MEP will continue to conduct joint outreach with SWA outreach workers to deliver educational benefits to MSFWs. The SWA will prepare a draft MOU and meet with key personnel at MEP to implement an MOU. Prior to the end of the third and fourth year of the four-year cycle, the SWA will pursue an MOU with the U.S. Department of Labor Wage and Hour to expedite resolving MSFW complaints and apparent violations. The SWA State Monitor Advocate (SMA), managers and outreach workers have a standing informal working relationship with the forementioned entities and will secure formal agreements by end of the fourth year of the four-year cycle.