Agricultural Connection
Tools & strategies to support migrant & seasonal farmworkers through training, job services & career pathways.
About
Agricultural Connection
The Agricultural Connection Community contains resources that have been developed by the National Farmworker Jobs Program (NFJP) and the Monitor Advocate System.
The National Farmworker Jobs Program (NFJP) - is nationally directed, locally administered program of services for eligible migrant and seasonal farmworkers (MSFWs), including youth MSFWs, and their dependents, who encounter chronic unemployment and underemployment. The program partners with community organizations, State agencies, and State Monitor Advocates to provide services, including career services, training services, housing assistance services, youth services, and related assistance services, to farmworkers who depend primarily on jobs in agricultural labor performed across the country to obtain or retain unsubsidized employment, or stabilize their unsubsidized employment, including upgraded employment in agriculture.
The Monitor Advocate System was created in 1980 to ensure that farmworkers have equal access to the public workforce system. Historically disenfranchised, studies show that MSFWs continue to be discriminated against, suffer wage violations, unsanitary housing, and harsh working conditions. The network of Monitor Advocates at the state, regional, and national level oversee the delivery and monitoring of employment and training services to MSFWs, and ensure that MSFWs are provided services that are qualitatively equivalent and quantitatively proportionate to the services provided to all other workers.
For any questions, assistance, or feedback on the site, please contact the National Farmworker Jobs Program at NFJP@dol.gov, or the National Monitor Advocate at NMA@dol.gov.
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Event Summary
Proper cost classification enhances strategic planning, operational efficiency, and financial clarity, which contribute to an organization’s overall success. Specific rules and guidelines relate to cost classification under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA). Federal Project Officer, Trevor Capon, will help grantees understand and apply these rules appropriately.
Moderator(s)
Dawn James-Taylor, Workforce Development Specialist, Office of Workforce Investment, U.S. Department of Labor
Kendra Moesle, Director of Workforce Development, Association of Farmworker Opportunity Programs
Presenter(s)
Trevor Capon, Federal Project Officer, Employment and Training Administration / Region 1 - Boston
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Event Summary
Proper cost allocation is essential for effective financial management and decision-making. Under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA), there are specific rules and processes that grantees must follow when structuring cost allocation plans for staff and programs. Federal Project Officer, Trevor Capon, will provide information to help grantees apply cost allocation standards.
Moderator(s)
Dawn James-Taylor, Workforce Development Specialist, Office of Workforce Investment, U.S. Department of Labor
Kendra Moesle, Director of Workforce Development, Association of Farmworker Opportunity Programs
Presenter(s)
Trevor Capon, Federal Project Officer, Employment and Training Administration / Region 1 - Boston
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Event Summary
The ARS is a part of the Wagner-Peyser Employment Service, which helps agricultural employers find workers in the United States to perform farmwork on a temporary, less than year-round basis. When the National Farmworker Jobs Program (NFJP) grantees partner with agricultural employers, they learn about many workforce challenges, including an employer’s need to find workers. In this webinar, U.S. Department of Labor experts will highlight the benefits of using the ARS.
Moderator(s)
Laura Ibañez, Unit Chief for Specialty National Programs, Office of Workforce Investment, U.S. Department of Labor
Kendra Moesle, Director of Workforce Development, Association of Farmworker Opportunity Programs
Presenter(s)
Laura Tramontana, National Monitor Advocate, Office of Workforce Investment, U.S. Department of Labor
Timmy Dudley, Workforce Analyst, Office of Workforce Investment, U.S. Department of Labor
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Building Partnerships with State Monitor Advocates to Increase Access to Care for Ag Worker Families
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This webinar will highlight successful partnerships between Community and Migrant Health Centers and their State Monitor Advocates as a strategy to enhance health care delivery to migrant and seasonal agricultural workers. This webinar will also include a Q&A session.
Moderator(s)
Timmy Dudley, Workforce Analyst, U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration
Presenter(s)
Amy Shepherd, MPH, Director, Connecticut River Valley Farmworker Health Program, Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers
Mary Ellen McIntyre,Senior Vice President, Compliance & Special Populations, Massachusetts League of Community Health Center
Yu-Mon Luis Chang, MSFW State Monitor Advocate, Connecticut Department of Labor
Kasey Harding, Director of the Center for Key Populations, Community of Health Center, Inc.
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Event Summary
The objective of this webinar is to present information on the NFJP allocation formula and the preliminary State planning estimates for Program Year 2021.
Moderator(s)
Thoa Hoang, Workforce Analyst, Office of Workforce Investment
Presenter(s)
Daniel Carroll, Workforce Analyst, Office of Policy Development and Research
David Litvin, Budget Analyst, Office of Financial & Administrative Services
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Event Summary
Please join us for Part II of our two part series on Disaster Preparedness and Response: Serving Farmworkers. Part II will focus on identifying resources and collaborating.Moderator(s)
Lianna Shannon, Program and Policy Specialist, National Monitor Advocate System, Employment and Training Administration, U.S. Department of LaborPresenter(s)
Minerva Figueroa, Senior Monitor Advocate, Florida Department of Economic Opportunity
David G. Marín, Assistant District Director, U.S. Department of Labor – Wage & Hour Division, Employment and Training Administration, U.S. Department of Labor
Krister Engdahl, Regional Monitor Advocate, Employment and Training Administration, U.S. Department of Labor
David King, UI Program Specialist, Special Programs Team - Division of UI Operations, Office of Unemployment Insurance, Employment and Training Administration, U.S. Department of Labor
Juan Regalado, National Monitor Advocate, Specialty National Programs Unit, Employment and Training Administration, U.S. Department of Labor
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Event Summary
Part I of this two part series on Disaster Preparedness and Response: Serving Farmworkers will focus on what we can learn from National Farmworker Jobs Program (NFJP) grantees’ experiences. In 2017, the operations of several NFJP grantees were disrupted by different natural disasters that impacted the farmworker community in distinct ways.Moderator(s)
Lianna Shannon, Workforce Analyst, National Monitor Advocate Team, Specialty National Programs Unit, U.S. Department of Labor
Presenter(s)
Gerald Williams, Coordinator-Workforce Education and Farmworkers Career Development Program, Immokalee Technical College
Paul Castro, Director, Farmworker Services and Workforce Development Division, California Human Development (CHD)
Norma Garcia, California Human Development (CHD)
Stacey Taylor, Executive Director Motivation Education & Training, Inc. (MET)
Brenda Lee Soto, Director of Internal Quality Control, PathStone Corporation
Albert Rivera, Regional Administrator, PathStone Corporation
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Event Summary
Sexual harassment and human trafficking are pervasive problems that impact people of all genders, races, ethnicities, and ages in the United States and worldwide. Surveys find that one in four women report workplace harassment in the United States and it is estimated that there are 20.9 million victims of human trafficking globally. These issues are often hidden and underreported because victims fear reprisal.
Moderator(s)
Bhavani Arabandi, Ph.D, Workforce Analyst, National Monitor Advocate System Team, U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration
Juan Regalado, National Monitor Advocate, U.S. Department of Labor, Employment & Training Administration
Presenter(s)
Jorge Acero, State Monitor Advocate, Maine Department of Labor, Bureau of Employment Services
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A Model Career Pathways Network: NFJP, Columbia Basin College, & Benton Franklin Workforce System
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In this webinar, participants will learn about a model Career Pathways partnership between the National Farmworker Jobs Program (NFJP) grantee Opportunities Industrialization Center of Washington, Columbia Basin College, the Benton Franklin workforce system and regional businesses. This dynamic network works hard to be nimble and provide stackable certificate and training programs that respond directly to business needs and connect jobseekers to new careers.Moderator(s)
Sara Hastings, Division of Youth Services, U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration
Presenter(s)
Leonor Rico, Business Services Manager, Opportunities Industrialization Center of Washington
Michelle Mann, Director, Worker Retraining Program, Columbia Basin College
Janese Thatcher, Dean for Career & Technical Education, Columbia Basin College
Leticia Torres, Adult Dislocated Worker and Youth Programs Manager, WorkSource Columbia Basin
