Worker Outreach: Notification is Just the Beginning!

When we had a large TAA certified worker group that was not engaging in services, our TAA Program Manager asked why?  With the outreach strategies in place, why did almost two-thousand workers seem to disappear? We started to dig into the data. We noticed that it was not just the TAA program; these workers did not engage in the Title I Dislocated Worker program. We also noted the challenges our staff had in establishing and maintaining communication with this worker group. Additionally, we found that worker engagement with our historically underserved communities was extremely low.     

The Oregon TAA program has worked over the years to improve our outreach strategy to Trade-affected workers. Our process included mailing a notification letter, publishing a notice in local newspaper(s), posting on social media, emailing affected workers if we have their email address, and a minimum of three phone call attempts to each worker. However, we were still not pulling in as many workers as we anticipated based on the volume of potentially affected workers.   

We talk a lot about barrier removal and yet we may have been overlooking the very first barrier, a reliable and secure communication plan. The work to overcome communication barriers is not easy; however, it can be achieved. In the past, our first outreach call was to ask if they had received the written notification of potential eligibility and invite them to a Trade Act Information Session to learn more about the program. We did not ask them what access to technology or communication barriers they may be facing, and for some workers our law and processes may have added to their barrier to access benefits and services. If the workers did not have access to technology that would allow them to engage with us, we then lost the ability to gain their trust, and provide the benefits and services they needed.   

The Oregon TAA Technology Pilot for Underserved Populations provided us an opportunity to apply a more proactive approach by asking additional questions about the technology, skills, and resources they have access to.  Every connection we have with each worker counts. Workers who self-identify in one of our historically underserved communities and have a barrier to technology we enroll in our pilot. We are able to provide resources to secure their access to the benefits and services they need and enhance our ability to deliver them.   

The pilot is changing the way we think about service delivery for all Trade-affected workers in our state.  Currently we are taking another look at our previous TAA certified worker lists and performing outreach again to all workers who have not engaged in services. We have enrolled thirty workers into our pilot, who without this pilot, would not have received the services they needed to gain suitable employment.   

We look at outreach differently today.  It is more than a notification of benefits and services, it is the beginning of assessing the needs of those we serve, starting with communication and access to technology. Right now there are Trade-affected workers in each of our states that still need our benefits and services.  We encourage all programs to revisit your Trade-affected worker lists and let them know we are here to help.

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• Posted by: Damon Jones
• Posted in: Trade Adjustment Assistance for Workers