Are You a Dislocated Worker?

Your local North East Texas Workforce Center has a unique services program that is federally funded and available to individuals who have lost their job or experienced a layoff due to force reductions, plant closings, economic events, or natural disasters, with little chance of returning to work. The goals of this service program include increasing employment prospects for dislocated workers, increasing employment retention and earnings and retraining for the current job market.

Who is a Dislocated Worker?

The North East Texas Workforce System defines a dislocated worker as an adult, 18 years or older, who -through not fault of his or her own- has been terminated or laid off, received a notice of termination or layoff from employment, is eligible for unemployment insurance, or has exhausted their unemployment insurance. A dislocated worker may also be defined as someone having demonstrated an appropriate attachment to the workforce, but who was not eligible for unemployment insurance and is unlikely to return to his or her previous job. This may include workers at facilities that have announced closure or substantial, permanent layoffs or self-employed workers (such as farmers or ranchers) who, as a result of economic conditions or natural disaster are left without work. The definition of a dislocated worker is broad enough to even include a displaced homemaker who is no longer supported by another family member.

Programs Available

Funded under the Workforce Investment Act (WIA), the dislocated worker program is the nation’s premier employment and training program that allows for individualized re-employment services. Your local North East Texas Workforce Center provides the program at no expense to employers and workers.

Rapid Response

Rapid Response is an early intervention outplacement service offered to employers and workers affected by layoff and plant closings that affect 50 or more workers. Rapid Response activities are designed to transition dislocated workers from initial notification of layoff to participation in the WIA program with the goal of returning that worker to productive employment as quickly as possible. Rapid Response teams will work with employers and employee representative(s) to quickly maximize public and private efforts to minimize disruptions associated with job loss for individuals and communities. Businesses are eligible for Rapid Response when layoffs involve fifty (50) or more workers, or when plant closings or mass layoffs affect fewer than fifty (50) employees, but occurs in a business or industry which forms the economic base of a small community (population 50,000 or less).

Rapid Response services include:

• Career counseling
• Job search assistance
• Resume preparation assistance
• Interviewing skills workshops
• Information on local labor market
• Unemployment insurance
• Information about training and education opportunities

Rapid Response services are offered as a group activity, at no cost to the employer or the participating employees.

Services Available at the Local North East Texas Workforce Centers

Job search and placement assistance and labor market information are among the basic services offered to employers and/or dislocated workers at each North East Texas Workforce Center. In order to provide clients with various means of communication, the centers offer conveniences such as the use of computers, telephones, and fax machines to facilitate job searches. More comprehensive services are also available and include assessments, development of individual employment plans and career counseling and planning. Re-employment services offer workers assistance in finding a new job. For individuals requiring re-training, appropriate training programs to develop marketable skills that will help obtain employment are provided. Customers are then linked to training opportunities in their communities, including both occupational training and training in basic skills.

The Work Certified Program is also available for dislocated employees to refresh and establish their understanding of basic business skills such as: reading comprehension, computer basics, business math, resume writing and interview skills, customer service, work maturity, and business writing. Upon completion of this program, individuals are identified as “Work Certified” and provided with a certification card. This service is designed to make jobseekers more marketable and ensure employers that they are hiring qualified employees with a strong work ethic.

To find a Workforce Center near you, please visit the locations page.