TRADE ADJUSTMENT

ASSISTANCE

TEXAS WORKFORCE

COMMISSION

WORKFORCE SOLUTIONS

GREATER DALLAS

WHAT IS TRADE ADJUSTMENT

ASSISTANCE (TAA)?

The Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) Program is a federal program that assists US workers who have

lost their jobs as a result of foreign trade.

WHAT IS THE GOAL OF TAA?

The TAA program seeks to provide these trade – affected workers with opportunities to obtain the skills, resources, and support they need to become reemployed.

HOW DOES THE TAA PROGRAM WORK?

A petition must be filed with the US Department of Labor by or on behalf

of a group of workers who have experienced a job loss as a result of

foreign trade.

After the Department of Labor Investigates the facts behind the petition, it

determines whether statutory criteria are met.

If the Department grants the petition to certify the worker

group, individual workers may apply for TAA benefits and services

through their State Workforce Agency.

PETITION NUMBERS

1. After receiving a valid petition, the Office of Trade Adjustment Assistance

(OTAA) assigns the petition a five digit case number.

2. Workers with petition numbers between 70,000 and 79,000 may be

approved on a full-time or part-time basis and are eligible for up to 156 weeks

of training.

3. Workers with petition numbers less than 69,999 and greater than 80,000 may

only be approved on a full-time basis and eligible for 130 weeks of training.

2010 Texas Data

131 TAA petitions were certified.

12,893 estimated Texas workers were covered by new

certifications.

$26,627,497 in federal funds allocated to Texas to provide

benefits and services.

TOP TAA

CERTIFICATIONS

Approximately 700 Hewlett Packard workers

Approximately 700 Flextronics International workers

Approximately 600 Freescale Semiconductor workers

WHO DO

WE

SERVE?

The TAA program has been developed through legislation, regulation, and administrative guidance to best serve the needs of this unique population.

TAA participants come from a variety

of backgrounds and industries, and

therefore many enter the program with

a wide array of skills and experience.

The majority of TAA participants who

enter the program face similar

challenges in obtaining

reemployment, which can include no

education beyond high school, job

skills solely in the manufacturing

sector, and an average age of 46 with

over 12 years of experience in a

specified job that may no longer exist.

SIX TAA APPROVAL CRITERIA

1. There is no suitable employment available within the local

commuting area or in an area where the worker is willing to relocate.

2. The affected worker would benefit from training.

3. There is a reasonable expectation of employment upon completion

of training.

4. Training reasonably available from a private or public school

regulated by a state agency or accreditation board.

5. The affected worker is qualified to undertake and complete the

training.

6. The training is available at both a reasonable cost and at the lowest

cost available for the occupation.

…This cannot be and will not be a subsidy

program of government paternalism. It is

instead a program to afford time for American

initiative, American adaptability and American

resiliency to assert themselves… Trade

Adjustment Assistance… is designed to

strengthen the efficiency of our economy, not

to protect inefficiencies.

- President John F. Kennedy

HOW DO TAA SERVICES RELATE TO

COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES?

Colleges and universities provide the essential

training needed for these workers to transition into

suitable employment.

CASE MANAGEMENTROLE OF TWC CASE MANAGER

Verify eligibility

Approval/Denial process: All on a case – by – case basis

Provide guidance on training programs while ensuring all

approved training programs meet TAA approval criteria

What is case

management ?

WHAT IS THE PROCESS OF APPROVING TRAINING

AT COLLEGE FOR TAA ELIGIBLE WORKERS?

After student has met with TAA case manager, the student must meet

with academic advisor/program coordinator for acceptance process and

selection of occupational training.

After student has selected the occupational training, case manager must

ensure training program meets TAA approval criteria.

Once training is approved, case manager will issue approved Individual

Training Account documentation to colleges.

WHAT PAPERWORK IS REQUIRED FOR

TRAINING APPROVAL?

Academic advisor/program coordinator submits the total cost and curriculum to case manager.

Signed training vouchers for credit courses must be submitted to case manager, per semester (refer to Training Voucher sample).

Training vouchers for non-credit course programs can be submitted for the length of program. Advising report must be submitted to case manager for assessment purposes (Accuplacer, THEA, prior college transcripts). These assessments will be used in determining if the student will be successful in the program that has been selected.

CASE MANAGEMENT

ROLE OF ACADEMIC ADVISOR – PROGRAM COORDINATOR

•Determine college readiness – (TSI Requirements)

•Provide guidance on acceptance process of college

•Provide cost and curriculum to case manager once student

has selected the occupational training of interest

•Provide academic progress to case manager each semester

(credit courses) or monthly (non-credit courses)

TAA APPROVED TRAINING

CURRICULUM

•The training program must be amended and

approved prior to any changes in the curriculum.

•TWC will not pay for classes that are not required

to complete the training program.

•Case manager must be notified immediately if

student withdraws from training.

SELF - FINANCING

•Self-financing from personal or family resources is not

permitted. This includes student loans, since they have to be

repaid.

•Since scholarships and government grants do not have to be

repaid, they are not considered self-financing.

•Funds from Pell grants are retained by the worker for

personal living expenses unless the worker voluntarily requests

use of Pell grants to lower the cost of training that would

otherwise be denied because of unreasonable cost.

Helpful TAA Links:

U.S. Department of Labor: www.doleta.gov/tradeact

Petition Filing Information: www.doleta.gov/tradeact/FAQ.cfm

Texas Workforce Commission: www.twc.state.tx.us

Job Search: www.workintexas.com

Labor Market Information: www.bls.gov; www.careerinfonet.org

Current TAA Status

DEPENDS!It depends!

Susan worked at her job for approximately 30 years prior

to her layoff, and was extremely worried to be “60 years

old, without a job, and only have a high school degree.”

Through TAA, Susan is now in training to become a

medical administrative assistant. “The program is a

blessing for me… it has made a difference, it gives me

more dignity. I don’t know where a lot of us would be

without that education” - Susan B.

TOGETHER, WE CAN HELP

REBUILD OUR ECONOMY!