TAA set to expire February 12.

 
Federal Program That Retrains Workers Whose Jobs Have Been Outsourced Set to Expire

Americans at Risk of Losing Opportunity to Train for Existing Jobs

WASHINGTON, DC –The federal program that retrains workers who have lost their jobs due to outsourcing or foreign competition will be eliminated in just over two weeks if Congress does not act to extend current law.

The Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) program provides training for jobs in high-growth industries, income support, and other benefits to individuals whose company’s close or downsize due to increased competition from imports.  But that opportunity could be extinguished.

In 2009 under the Recovery Act, Congress amended the program to expand benefits and eligibility; including allowing trade-impacted service and public sector workers to access the program.  The law previously had restricted eligibility primarily to manufacturing workers.

Congress passed a temporary extension of TAA and extended the expanded program through February 12, 2011. Due to a drafting error, if Congress fails to act before the current extension expires, the TAA for Workers program will be eliminated entirely— not just the expanded benefits and eligibility.

“TAA has been essential to helping trade-impacted workers weather layoffs and get the skills they need to find new jobs and careers in emerging and high-growth industries,” said Rachel Gragg, Federal Policy Director for National Skills Coalition. “If Congress does not act quickly, they will be significantly limiting these workers’ opportunities to train for existing job openings.  It’s incomprehensible that some Members of Congress would make such a choice when we have near double-digit unemployment.”

In 2010 213,000 individuals received TAA benefits.  Reflecting the surging demand for skills training and work supports in the wake of rapidly escalating job loss across the country, a record 97,888 TAA participants enrolled in training in Fiscal Year (FY) 2010 up from to 57,949 in FY 2009 and 37,753 in FY 2008.

Forty-two percent of workers currently covered by TAA qualify because of the 2009 amendments, and an estimated 155,000 dislocated workers who otherwise would not have been eligible have received benefits and services under the program.

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National Skills Coalition is a broad-based coalition of employers, unions, education and training providers, and public officials working toward a vision of an America that grows its economy by investing in its people so that every worker and every industry has the skills to compete and prosper.