MORRISTOWN – Changes in the Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) Act and increased funding will make more people eligible for workforce training, according to Dr. Nancy Brown, dean of workforce development at Walters State Community College.

“TAA funding has enabled many workers who lost manufacturing jobs to move to growing fields, like green technology or healthcare. Changes in the act will now fund more unemployed workers, including some service sector workers,” Brown said.

TAA is a federally-funded program that assists workers whose jobs have been lost due to increased imports or a shift in production to a foreign country. The expanded assistance makes workers eligible who have lost hours or have suffered wage cuts. Some workers who do not directly work for manufacturing firms will also qualify.

“Workers who have lost their jobs with suppliers or with companies that in some way served a manufacturer who has cut business because of imports or moved work overseas may now qualify,” Brown added. In the past, most employees who qualified for TAA assistance were in manufacturing jobs that were directly hurt by imports. The new act broadens those covered to include many who have been indirectly hurt by imports.

Jim Neely, commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce

Development, announced earlier this month that the state has received over $12 million in federal funding to provide more Trade Adjustment Assistance services. Tennessee is third in the country in the number of workers covered by TAA, falling behind only Michigan and North Carolina. While this may seem a dubious distinction, the upside is that Tennessee is third in the amount of funds given to retrain workers.

In order to qualify for assistance, individuals must file a petition with the Department of Labor and Workforce Development at the nearest career center. (See attached contact list.) Individuals who have lost their job within the last year and were denied TAA services may reapply under the new guidelines.

New guidelines also allow workers to begin training when told of separation, whereas workers were previously required to be unemployed before training could begin. For some workers, the amount of time allowed for training has been increased and payment has gone from 90 percent to 100 percent of training costs. Some workers may also be eligible for a relocation allowance and a tax credit for the cost of continuing health care coverage.

For more information, contact your local Tennessee Career Center.

Career Center/W.I.A. Services Contact Information

Tennessee Comprehensive Career Center at Talbott
(423) 317-1060

Tennessee Career Center at Morristown
(423) 318- 2341

Tennessee Career Center at Gatlinburg
(865) 436-5131

Tennessee Career Center at Sevierville

(865) 429-7001

WSCC Center for Workforce Development, Greeneville

(423) 798-0906

WSCC Center for Workforce Development, Tazewell

(423) 526-2816

Tennessee Career Center at Maynardville

(865) 992-0805

Tennessee Career Center at Newport

(423) 623-1108

Tennessee Career Center at Rogersville

(423) 272-2661