Director's Corner
A
happy Spring to all! We hope you are enjoying the warm weather. This month, I
would like to highlight the upcoming Joint Counselor Training on June 11 and 12
in Rochester. Whether you have worked with TAA customers, “traditional”
dislocated workers, Minnesota Family Investment Program participants, veterans
seeking employment, or disadvantaged adult job seekers, this is an event you
should attend!
We
will post registration information to this mailing list as it becomes available
– but please be sure to mark off these dates and stay tuned. We look forward to
seeing you there!
Alert: Trade Readjustment Allowance Issues
If your Reemployment Trade Adjustment Assistance (RTAA) clients have
received a “Wage Cross Match Letter” from our agency’s Unemployment Insurance
division indicating they are going to be audited, please have them contact TRA
by calling 651-296-3644 and ask for a TRA Specialist.
Many
clients have also been calling about their TRA status. These calls increase as
we move from one quarter to the next. All we require is for the individual to follow
instructions on his or her account page to apply for benefits. Anyone needing
help should call the number above and ask for a TRA Specialist.
JCT 2014 Award Nominations
The JCT 2014 Joint Counselor Training Awards nominations are due this Friday, May 9th. The
categories relevant to this unit’s programs are:
-
Dislocated
Worker Counselor of the Year: This
award will be given to one Dislocated Worker (DW) counselor who has made a
unique and significant contribution to the quality of services received by
customers in the DW or TAA programs during the past year.
-
Lifetime
Achievement Award:
This award will be given to one Dislocated Worker Counselor who has made
outstanding contributions to the well-being of customers and of the DW/TAA
programs generally over the course of their career. All counselors
are eligible for this award, not only those that are close to
retirement.
-
Exceptional
Performance by a Team:
This award will be given to a provider or team of individuals that has
functioned effectively as a team to improve the quality of the DW/TAA
programs.
Nominations
are submitted online at http://www.surveygizmo.com/s3/1610815/2014JCT-Nominations
For
more information, please contact Carrie Fink at Carrie.Fink@state.mn.us or 651-259-7252.
Dislocated Worker Program vs. TAA
We
still see occasional confusion about how DW and TAA interact, particularly in
regards to training plans. Here is a summary of where similarities and
differences lie.
Both
DW and TAA are re-employment programs with the goal of getting people back to
work as soon as possible. Whereas DW is available to most people who lose their
job permanently through no fault of their own, TAA is only available to those
individuals who lose their job permanently due to foreign trade (as determined
and certified by the U.S. Department of Labor). Individuals who are eligible
for TAA can either enroll in the Dislocated Worker program only, or be
co-enrolled in the TAA program. No customer may enroll in TAA without
enrolling in DW.
TAA
will pay for training if the eligible individual is coming from an occupational area that has less than 5 percent growth and is interested in training toward an occupational area that shows greater than 5 percent growth.
TAA
program participants must meet all of
the following six eligibility criteria to qualify for training:
- There
is no suitable
employment available for the adversely affected worker.
- The
laid off individual would benefit from appropriate training.
- There
is reasonable expectation of employment following completion of training.
- Approved
training is reasonably available from either governmental agencies or
private sources.
- The
laid off individual is qualified to undertake and complete such training.
- Such
training is suitable for the laid off individual and is available at a
reasonable cost.
Individuals
are only allowed one training plan in the TAA program and that training must result in a credential.
Individuals can't request a second training plan after completion of the
initial plan. Training plans in DW are more flexible and don't need a
credential; that said, we always encourage counselors to help customers seek
training that will result in industry-recognized credentials, wherever possible.
DW training needs to be WIA approved or through a school with a MOHE code (Minnesota
Office of Higher Education.)
If
a TAA eligible individual accepts a full-time, permanent position at 80 percent
or greater than their last wage from the certified employer, prior to
enrollment in TAA approved training, they will not be eligible to request or receive TAA benefits. The same
applies if the individual returns to the trade certified employer. Should the
individual find themself not “suitably” employed at a future date, benefits
could be requested at that time. Due to various timelines, the only
benefit often available at a later date is TAA training. (The TRA benefit
window closes 26 weeks after the layoff or certification date, whichever is
later, unless a waiver is in place. The waiver must accompany a plan.)
If an individual is participating in TAA
approved training and accepts “suitable” employment, that individual can
continue with the training program. (Individuals can switch from
full-time to part-time training as long as they have enough remaining weeks to
complete their program. Individuals cannot exceed 130 training weeks per 2011
law.)
Why TAA Needs Labor Market Information (LMI)
LMI is one of the guidelines TAA uses to
ensure federal regulations are followed in approving training plans. In order
for TAA to authorize training in a new occupation, TAA looks for a minimum of
5% job growth. Conversely the LMI for the trade affected job needs to be down
trending or showing less than 5% growth. If the trade affected job is 5% or
above, TAA requires additional justification for training such as job ads that
are requiring a certain level of education or additional certifications.
This can be complicated by regional data or
sudden changes in a specific job type. When this occurs, it is best to use
regional resources such as Iseek.org for a more accurate LMI within Minnesota.
If ONET is used, TAA needs the state statistics, not national. If the state is
other than Minnesota, the client needs to indicate a willingness to relocate to
the state that is experiencing growth.
TAA not only looks at growth but also the
number of jobs that statistic represents. For example, an occupation may show
20% growth but only 20 jobs are being offered in the region. This plan would
not be approved. Or in another example, a future occupation may show growth but
the educational requirements exceed what can be accomplished within the TAA
timeline.
What kind of
LMI information does TAA need to accompany a training plan?
TAA only needs a single page showing either
regional or state growth percentages and salary ranges for the trade affected
position as well as another page with the same data listed above for the
occupational goal. TAA doesn't need
all of the additional pages outlining skills, education and other qualities
needed for the desired position.
You, as Dislocated Worker Counselors, know
your clients best. TAA relies heavily on the information you have obtained from
meeting with your client along with data from skill and interest assessments.
TAA needs accurate LMI information but we do look at the big picture and
ultimately your opinion can be instrumental in whether a plan is approved or
not.
We strive for the information in this newsletter to be relevant and
useful, and we encourage you to provide feedback and suggestions for future TAA
Topics or TAA Success Stories. To contact the TAA team regarding this
newsletter, please e-mail: cynthia.boyle@state.mn.us and type “TAA
Newsletter” in the subject line.
|