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TAA Service Delivery

Effective Strategies to Provide the Best Service

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My role in providing services to Trade Affected Workers is best described as:

a) Counselor/Employment Specialist

b) Local TAA Coordinator

c) One-Stop Operator (Supervisor)

d) WIB Director

e) Other

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Common Terms

• Trade Act - intended to increase foreign imports, decrease our balance of trade deficit and provide American consumers with a greater supply of less costly goods.

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From the Petition Application page.

Check it out for a full list.

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Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA)- counseling, testing and assessment, development of an employment plan, job placement, training and other supportive services including income support.

Trade Readjustment Allowance (TRA) -weekly compensation for those individuals enrolled in training or waived from the training requirement.

Alternative Trade Adjustment Assistance (ATAA) – Wage subsidy to help bridge the salary gap between old and new employment.

Health Care Tax Credit (HCTC) – Federal Tax credit that pays 65% of the qualified health care premium for eligible affected workers.

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• Special Programs Unit (SPU) – A unit within the UI division. 518-402-0189– 599 – TAA/TRA eligibility determination and weekly TRA

payments– Processes hearing requests

• Workforce Development and Training (WDTD)– Oversight, monitoring, compliance– WDTD e-mail addresses….– Receive TAA petitions and issue notices to provide

Rapid Response services to the affected workers– Distribute lists of potential TAA eligible workers

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Guiding Principals of Providing Service to Dislocated Workers who are Trade Affected

• Ensure that effective strategies are employed to assist affected workers in obtaining reemployment– As quickly and effectively as possible– With intervention strategies that focus on early

intervention and up front assessment• New with the reform of 2002 is the requirement to provide

reemployment services through RR and any available core and intensive services when a petition is filed.

• Use One-Stop Center as main point of intake and delivery of services and benefits.

• TEGL 11-02 and WIA Regs. 663

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Current TAA activity in my local area is best described as:

• A) Lots of activity

• B) Moderate Activity

• C) No Activity

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How to Ensure Effective Strategies are Employed?

• THE EMPLOYMENT PLAN!• Identifies the actions needed to reach stated

goals = strategy• Confirms what individuals know about

themselves• May identify skills/interests that have gone

unnoticed• Allows individuals to put “words” to their skills,

interests and goals. Needed for a successful job search and making decisions.

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The best place to start –

TRANSFERABLE SKILLS

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Transferable Skills

• Important that the individual knows what they are and how they are used in goal setting, job search and decision-making.– skills developed and acquired in a specific

context that “transfer” to a variety of other situations and tasks.

• Individuals must be able to communicate their transferable skills in a way that is meaningful to them.

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Excellent source to identify and define the data needed to make section E meaningful.

Use as a starting point to create a resume – be sure to use the individual’s own words so when asked at the interview they can explain what was written and the resume is “their own.”

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My use of O*NET as a tool to develop an employment plan is

best described:

a) Always

b) Sometimes

c) Never

d) What is O*NET?

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Cut and paste those that apply to EP or print and attach, make sure the individual understands that these are transferable skills!

Help individuals create a story in their own words about 2 or 3 transferable skills for their resume, interviewing, cover letters.

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Identification of Transferable Skills Impacts the Effective Strategy

• Transferable skills matched against the labor market answers the question - – Are the skills marketable and is there a

reasonable expectation of employment at equivalent wages in the foreseeable future?

– If Yes - – Define short and long-term goals regarding job search– Develop job search strategy – Identify if ATAA is an option– Identify need for job search workshops– Determine if out of area job search is warranted– Issue waiver for Marketable Skills (if within 8/16)

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Transferable skills cut and pasted and edited from O*NET.

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There is a lot of room for the justification for marketable skills – reinforce the identified skills by reiterating them here.

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What Justifies a Marketable Skills Waiver?

• Does not Justify:– “Customer feels he has marketable skills”

– “Will look for work as an embroidery operator”

– “Client will continue to do a job search for the next 30 days”

• Justifies:– “Actively job seeking demand positions as Purchasing Agent and

Senior Buyer. Planning and buying skills are highly marketable in Capital District”

– “Skilled machine operator, able to transfer math and monitoring skills to growing local defense industry contractors”

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Goal Setting for Job Search

Long-term vision and short-term motivation!

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Goal Setting for Job Search

• Stating goals in writing is more powerful than the best of good intentions.

• Goals provide the critical focus to organize work tasks.

• Everyone’s goal is to get a job! Use the SMART mnemonic to create meaningful goals:

Specific, Measurable, Adaptable, Realistic, Trackable

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Specific

• A “good” goal statement will say exactly what is to be accomplished.

• Cleary stated so it is easily understood and easy to remember.

• OK goal statement:– I want a good paying job working first shift

• Better goal statement:– I want a job in manufacturing to use my existing skills in quality

control and operation monitoring. It must be FT, pay at least $12/hr and be first shift within 25 miles of home. I want to secure a job within 10 weeks of today – dated 4/17/2005

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Measurable

• Being specific helps make the goal measurable and helps to avoid procrastination.

• Short-term goals for job search are best set for a week at a time.– This week I will submit on-line applications to ACME

Machining, Lockheed Martin, MeadWestvaco, Synthes USA and M&B Productions.

• A realistic timetable helps determine consistency in job search efforts.

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List the expected job search activities that support the short- term goal in this section.

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Adaptable

• A job search goal should be like a roadmap with all routes identified– I want a job in manufacturing to use my

existing skills in quality control and operation monitoring. It must be FT, pay at least $12/hr and be first shift within 25 miles of home. I want to secure a job within 10 weeks of today – dated 4/17/2005

• Identify and continually evaluate what is “required,” “desired,” and “optional.”

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Realistic

• The identification of the transferable skills matched against the labor market ensure realistic goal setting for job search.

• Short-term goals that define action should be neither overzealous nor too lax.

• Clearly defined action goals help individuals see forward progress.

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Trackable

• Job search efforts must be documented– Keep track of applications, resumes,

interviews--helps in the continuous evaluation of the stated goals.

– Helps to identify if the job search methods need to be changed.

– All UI claimants are required to keep record of job search efforts.

– Important data to determine if the reason for waiver still exists at each review.

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UI search record contained in the Claimant Handbook. Use as data to evaluate job search strategy/ability to achieve goals and to help determine waiver status.

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Identification of Transferable Skills Impacts the Effective Strategy

• Transferable skills matched against the labor market answers the question -

– Are the skills marketable and is there a reasonable expectation of employment at equivalent wages in the foreseeable future?

– If No– Are they subject to recall?– Are they within 2 years of retirement?– If No….

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Training

• Guiding Principle – return worker to suitable employment as quickly and economically as possible.

• First choice - OJT– Preferred method of training as stated in regulations– Must determine if OJT is possible before entertaining

classroom options when designing the employment plan.

– 28 OJTs approved and funded with TAA funds since integration of WIA and TAA!

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Training

• Guided Customer Choice– It is important that the customer “wants” the identified

training but that does not justify the eligibility requirements.

– Two typical scenarios• Customer states up front the desired training• Customer and counselor develop training plan after

counseling and assessment.

– Either way - training plans must be fully developed and reviewed against criteria for approval.

– Data from transferable skills, assessment, education and training work to support training choice.

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Training

• Progress must be monitored throughout the course.

• Individuals are instructed to return approximately two months prior to the completion of training to create a job search plan. – VITAL to begin concerted job search effort early and

establish good job search habits.– Additional TRA ends when training ends – no more

income support. – An individual may be eligible for basic TRA after the

completion of training if they have not exhausted eligibility and a waiver is issued.

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Housekeeping

• When do I enroll a trade affected worker in WIA and TAA?– Individuals not able to achieve suitable

employment through WIA Title I core services are co-enrolled.

– Enroll as usual at the core assisted level. – At a minimum, anyone who has been issued a

waiver should be co-enrolled. The waiver is issued based on the EP and development of an EP is considered an intensive service.

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To be able to search -TAA must be added. Use individual’s date of eligibility.

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Essential to reflect enrollment in TAA – required data is available on the individual’s determination.

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Click on Search to find services. Highlight appropriate service and click on Schedule button.

TAA Waiver Assessment, Job Search Allowance and Relocation Allowance are available from the service list and must be used to reflect these services.

If the necessary service is not found, contact the LWIA security coordinator.

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Deadlines and Timelines

• 8/16 – refers to the training enrollment deadline for receipt of basic TRA. – This date is identified on each determination.

It is the later of either the 8th week after the petition was certified or the 16th week after the most recent qualifying separation.

– Up front and early assessment will help determine if the training requirement can be waived or if training is required.

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Deadlines and Timelines

• 210 day deadline – refers to the application date for training for eligibility for additional TRA– Documented on the employment plan as the

date section J was first developed– Up to 52 weeks of additional TRA can be paid

for weeks in training beyond basic TRA

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Deadlines and Timelines

• ATAA – individual must secure employment within 26 weeks of the last day worked in the affected employment.– Cannot earn more than $50,000 annually – Be at least 50 years old.

Subsidy pays 50% of the difference between old and new employment up to $10,000.

TEGL 2-03 ATAA Interim Operating Instructions