Located in:
- Program-specific Requirements for Adult, Dislocated Worker, and Youth Activities under Title I-B
The Unified or Combined State Plan must include the following with respect to activities carried out under subtitle B--
a. 2. D. Describe How the State Provides Early Intervention (e.g., Rapid Response) to Worker Groups on Whose Behalf a Trade Adjustment Assistance (taa) Petition Has Been Filed. (section 134(a)(2)(a).) This Description Must Include How the State Disseminates Benefit Information to Provide Trade-affected Workers in the Groups Identified in the Taa Petitions with an Accurate Understanding of the Provision of Taa Benefits and Services in Such a Way That They Are Transparent to the Trade-affected Dislocated Worker Applying for Them (trade Act Sec. 221(a)(2)(a) and Sec. 225; Governor- Secretary Agreement). Describe How the State Will Use Funds That Have Been Reserved for Rapid Response to Provide Services for Every Worker Group That Files a Taa Petition.
Current Narrative:
LWC has a policy requiring co-enrollment into WIOA services for Trade affected workers receiving services under Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA). Co-enrolling (or multi-enrolling) TAA participants aligns resources and supports development of clear plans for integrated service strategies necessary to effectively and efficiently assist the Trade-affected workers in transition. Upon receipt of a valid WARN notification, and LWC determines the lay- warrants a public announcement, notices are disseminated to personnel identified within the WARN notification network. To ensure timeliness, the State’s Rapid Response team, begins intervention efforts within 48 hours of a layoff notification. To better meet local need, Rapid Response coordinators are located in each region of the state to lead and manage activities, and to provide customized responses to businesses and workers within their regions. The Rapid Response Regional Coordinator makes initial contact with the employer and gathers information regarding the cause of the layoff, demographics of the affected workers, immediate needs of the workers, etc. LWC has activated cross-program strategic planning and service integration (TAA, Dislocated Worker, and Rapid Response) by providing core and intensive services through the Rapid Response unit and by co-enrolling TAA certified participants in need of training in WIOA and TAA. The TAA Statewide Coordinator notifies the Rapid Response Statewide Coordinator whenever a new petition is filed to ensure that Rapid Response services are provided. The Trade unit organizes orientation sessions for employees who were affected by Trade when there is an active petition in the Trade program. The state also provides guidance to Local Boards to develop strategies and policies to provide progressive levels of intervention for job-seekers. Using information collected through early intervention, WIOA staff initiate enrollment of eligible laid-off employees for case management at One-Stop Centers statewide. All eligible dislocated workers are provided a full range of core, intensive, training and other individually appropriate local partner services. To accommodate worker schedules and enable more employees to access services every effort is made to negotiate on-site services and paid time-off. When possible, Worker Transition Centers are established on-site. Statistics have proven that when services are on-site and during company time it increases participation, morale, while maintaining productivity. The Work Test is provided throughout the interface of staff with unemployment insurance claimants, not just during the eligibility review process. In both daily re-employment (of claimants) efforts and during the eligibility review process, daily notification of work test issues are provided to the UI adjudication staff for follow-up. Early intervention services that include orientation; initial assessment of skill levels, aptitudes and abilities; the provision of labor market information; job-search assistance and financial management workshops continue to be a priority for workers in the TAA program. Once trade-impacted employees are certified, local-merit staff at the BCSC approves and enter the TAA program budget obligations and expenditure records in the HiRE system and complete the enrollment of these participants in TAA training. Certification of a dislocated worker for TAA includes determining eligibility by matching the laid-off employee to the USDOL-certified petition and the employer’s laid-off list, as well as approval of the individual using the six TAA criteria for eligibility to be placed in training along with other steps. The TAA criteria requires assessing the emotional, spiritual, financial and intellectual abilities of the trade-impacted worker, to demonstrate the individual’s qualification to undertake, complete and benefit from the planned training. Supporting the assessment are testing tools (SAGE, TABE, WorkKeys, etc.) administered at the local BCSC level. If the assessment identifies a TAA-certified participant’s need for adult education or remedial services, these programs can be offered by local-merit staff. The assessment tool also can be used to identify education gaps and to pinpoint work-related aptitudes and interests. Approval for TAA training services and selection of a training method or program is based on matching these factors to the participant for appropriate training for a demand occupation.