TAA September Newsletter

TAA Logo

 

TAA Contacts

 

 

General TAA Contact
651-259-7543
1-888-234-1330
deed.taa@state.mn.us

 

 

 

 

Annie Welch, Interim Director
651-259-7525
Annie.Welch@state.mn.us

 

 

Deb Gramza, TAA Coordinator
651-259-7570
Debra.Gramza@state.mn.us 

 

 

Amy Carlson, Senior TAA &
Performance Specialist
651-259-7542
Amy.Carlson@state.mn.us

 

Adele Cloutier, TAA Specialist (0)
651-259-7566
Adele.Cloutier@state.mn.us    

 

Mary Garcia, TAA Specialist (1)
651-259-7553
Mary.Garcia@state.mn.us

 

Cindy Boyle, Senior TAA Specialist (2)
651-259-7551
Cynthia.Boyle@state.mn.us 

 

 

Linda Skogen, TAA Specialist (3)
651-259-7588
Linda.Skogen@state.mn.us

 

Olajide Williams, TAA Specialist (4)
651-259-7431
Olajide.X.Williams@state.mn.us

 

Kelly Källi, TAA Specialist (5)
651-259-7527
Kelly.Kalli@state.mn.us 

 

Maria Estela Hernandez,
TAA Specialist (6)
651-259-7501
Maria.Hernandez@state.mn.us

 

Sarah Saito, TAA Specialist (7)
651-259-7546
Sarah.Saito@state.mn.us

 

Thomas Sommer, TAA Specialist (8)
651-259-7585
Thomas.Sommer@state.mn.us

 

Jennifer Anderson, TAA Specialist (9)
651-259-7690
Jennifer.Anderson@state.mn.us

 

Marla Beaty, TAA NE Regional Specialist / Rapid Response
218-231-8589
Marla.Beaty@state.mn.us

 

 

Jaclyn Brekken, TAA NW Regional Specialist
218-739-7560
Jaclyn.Brekken@state.mn.us

 

 

Laurie Jo Larson, TAA Central Regional Specialist
763-279-4469
Laurie.Jo.Larson@state.mn.us

 

 

Trade Readjustment Allowance

 

651-296-3644 ask for a TRA Specialist
877-898-9090 ask for a TRA Specialist

 

deed.tra@state.mn.us

 

 

 

 

TAA Newsletter- September 2016

IN THIS ISSUE:

 

  • Coordinator’s Corner 
  • Policy Update
  • Tool Purchase Orders
  • Helpful Hints
  • How to send a secure Email

 

 

 

 

 

 

Coordinator's Corner

Where did summer go?  Our great State Fair has come and gone, days are getting shorter, and (most importantly) nearly all students have started fall semester!  The latter part of Summer into Fall is traditionally the busiest time of the year for the TAA team.  For spring 2017 start dates and all start dates in the future, please send in requests no later than two weeks before the participant is scheduled to begin their training program.   The TAA team is currently abuzz with required tool and technology requests.  As students settle in for the semester, TAA will be shifting gears to prepare for a roundtable for TAA state administrators from our region in late October.   The Minnesota TAA hosting request was bumped up from Spring 2017 to Fall 2016.  As a result, TAA’s regular 10-12 fall counselor training sessions will not occur this year.  Instead, TAA is planning to host a training webinar in late November or early December.  Have a topic request or questions you’ve always wanted answered?  Please send them to deed.taa@state.mn.us. In the subject line state “winter training webinar.”  If your team has current TAA participants, you can always request on-site technical assistance.  Please contact Deb Gramza to request technical assistance at debra.gramza@state.mn.us

Policy Update

The TAA team is currently updating two policies.  The first is our “Approval of Classroom Training” policy, and will include the most recent changes with online training and the 2015 Law. Also, the reimbursement amount for participants who fail their first try will be removed.  Secondly, we’re working on the “Tools and Supplies” policy.  You will notice the one-bid amount will increase from $700 to $1,200.  (A student will need to provide two bids if their tools/supplies exceed $1,200.00 per semester.)

 

 

Tool Purchase Orders

Because of DEED’s fiscal processes, TAA will often pad the pricing of a tool purchase order in the event that additional tools are required at a later date. DW Counselors, please inform your TAA clients that this does not mean they can just “go shopping” with the additional funds. TAA still has a process—the client must ask for pre-approval and provide something from the training institution indicating requirement. 

 

Helpful Hints to Assure Consistent and Timely Service from TAA

 

  • When submitting a training plan, state “TAA Training Application – Client Name” in the subject line.
  • Make sure clients apply for a vendor ID if participating in TAA approved training and that the vendor ID is communicated to TAA as soon as it is received.
  • If an orientation is required by the training institution for incoming students, and the TAA participant is traveling over 15 miles one way to attend school, make sure the client asks for pre-approval from TAA to be reimbursed for mileage to attend the orientation. TAA needs to know this at the time purchase orders are requested so that the transportation subsistence timeline can include the orientation date. If not pre-approved, then we cannot reimburse for mileage to attend the orientation.  

How to Send a Secure Email

TAA and DW both handle confidential material on a daily basis and to make sure our clients’ information is secure we must follow these steps when an email includes a social security number or any other information that could be considered sensitive:

For Outlook 2013 email

  1. While creating a message, click the Options tab at the top of the message screen. ...
  2. Click the arrow beside More Options. ...
  3. Click the Security Settings button. ...
  4. Select the Encrypt Message Contents and Attachments check box.
  5. Click OK.

For Outlook 2010 email

  1. In message that you are composing, on the Options tab, in the More Options group, click Message Options Dialog Box Launcher.
  2. Click Security Settings, and then select the Encrypt message contents and attachments check box.
  3. Compose your message, and then click Send.

Or with either Outlook 2013 or 2010, you can put [encrypt] in the subject line followed by a topic and proceed with your message.

 

If you do not use Outlook then you can request an encrypted message from TAA which you can reply to and it will be secure. 

 

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.