The Worker Retraining (WRT) program is a key strategy in meeting the economic and workforce needs of Washington's workers and employers. Funded through the state legislature, the aim of WRT is to ensure dislocated and other unemployed workers have access to education and training that will help them reattach to the labor market in jobs and careers…

An evaluation of Hong Kong's Employee Retraining Board programs used interviews, case studies of training agencies, surveys of trainers and graduates, and employer focus groups. Recommendations were made regarding measurement of the size and characteristics of the displaced worker population, targeting of services, and alignment of incentives with…

In the midst of the economic recession of the early 1980's, two major facilities in Galesburg, Illinois, were closed down: a large private company and a state mental health facility which employed 15% of the local residents. The economic and social impact of these closures created a crisis for the town, its inhabitants, and service workers. In…

Discusses the problems related to the retraining of laid-off workers: the scarcity of jobs, the belief that retraining does not help, failure of government retraining programs, and lack of employer participation in retraining programs. Suggests that one solution is continuous retraining of workers on the job--before they are laid off. (JOW)

In August 1983, when the second largest employer in Washington County, Maryland, closed its plant, the local unemployment rate was 13%. The following month, Hagerstown Junior College (HJC) received $50,000 in state funds to initiate a dislocated worker (DLW) program. The program included orientation by a counselor, diagnostic testing, and…

A study examined and evaluated both public and private efforts to assist dislocated farmers, with particular emphasis on employment and training programs. The study found that about 46,000 farmers are currently leaving farming each year, and the rate probably will continue for the next several years. Since the majority of the farmers who leave…

This document records the oral and written testimony given by witnesses at a series of three Congressional hearings conducted in 1993 to review federal retraining programs for dislocated workers. Witnesses included representatives of federal and state agencies, and Private Industry Councils. Witnesses testified about their programs and what has…

The Carnation-ILWU (International Longshoremen's and Warehousemen's Union) Project attempted to find employment for a group of unskilled and semiskilled manufacturing workers displaced by the closing of the Carnation Company of Oakland, California. Although more than 2,000 employers were contacted in Alameda County in the year following the…

This document contains the oral and written statements of witnesses who testified at a hearing on the Reemployment and Retraining Act of 1994 and the WARN [Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification] Amendments Act. Witnesses included Senator Howard Metzenbaum of Ohio, several union and public employment program officials from several states,…

In the face of steadily declining numbers of small-operation farmers and ranchers, the Economic Dislocation and Worker Adjustment Assistance Act's Farmers and Ranchers Demonstration Project funded projects in four states to develop strategies for serving farmers. The experiences of these four projects in Iowa, Minnesota, North Dakota, and South…

The Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) program is designed to help the more than 1 million workers per year who lose their jobs because of permanent layoffs or plant closures, due in part because of imports. Studies show, however, that the TAA program fails to meet the seven goals of a successful reemployment assistance program: (1) TAA benefits…

Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) is a benefit paid to workers who lose their jobs in industries that face increasing competition from imported goods. TAA is supposed to offset political pressures for protectionist legislation, and it has been justified on grounds of equity and efficiency as well. Research on TAA shows that it has failed to aid…

The Farmers and Ranchers Demonstration Project, funded by the Economic Dislocation and Workers Adjustment Act, provided funding for employment and training services to dislocated and at-risk farmers and ranchers and their dependents and employees in four states (Iowa, Minnesota, North Dakota, and South Dakota) from July 1, 1990 to September 30,…

The Dislocated Worker Assistance Center (DWAC) at Joliet Junior College (Illinois) is a comprehensive employment and training program for individuals with established work records who have lost their jobs because of layoff, plant closure, or changes in technology in the workplace. The DWAC was elected to serve as the National Demonstration Center…

The General Accounting Office (GAO) surveyed all Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA) Title III dislocated worker projects operating between October 1982 and March 1985 to obtain program information concerning (1) results achieved, such as placement rates and average wage levels; (2) assistance provided to participants, including skill training,…