American Indian Rapid Response Project
Resources for Workers
- What is Rapid Response?
- Just Laid Off? About to be Laid Off?
- Am I a dislocated worker?
- Where can I go for help?
- Connection to Other Re-Employment Services
- Benefits of Rapid Response to Workers
- Trade Related Layoffs and Plant Closings
- Notice of Layoffs
What is Rapid Response?
Rapid Response is a strategy designed to respond to major layoffs, plant closings, and disasters by quickly coordinating services and providing immediate aid to affected workers. The NCIDC Rapid Response representative will work with your employer and any employee representative(s) to quickly maximize public and private efforts to minimize disruptions associated with job loss for individuals and communities and coordinate the access of locally available services.
Just Laid Off? About to Experience a Layoff? There's help available…
What services may be available to help get me back to work?
There are many types of services that are potentially available to you at no cost:
All workers have access to core services like those listed below through your local One-Stop Career Center. You may have received information on these services through our Rapid Response representative if you were part of a larger layoff. This is the first step in obtaining information such as:
- Unemployment Insurance
- Pension Benefits & Health Insurance Coverage
- Job Search Assistance
- Job Referral
- Local Area Job Openings
- Resume Assistance
- Job Training
If the core services do not produce results, you may be eligible for one-on-one assistance, group career workshops, and other assistance such as:
- Assessment of your Skills and Abilities
- Resume Writing Classes
- Help in Planning how to get back to work
- Stress and Financial Management Workshops
- One-on-One Job Counseling
Training Services, like those listed below, may be available to help you get a good job. If you qualify for help you will have access to a broad range of training services. Your One-Stop Career Center will have a list of training programs, descriptions and costs to help guide you in the decision-making process.
- Occupational Skills Training
- On-the-Job Training
- Skills Improvement
- GED Preparation
- English as a Second Language (ESL)
- Math and Reading Training
Your local One-Stop Career Center can help you identify sources of financial assistance to help pay for training.
Some services for dislocated workers have eligibility requirements. Please check with your local One-Stop Career Center for details.
Am I a Dislocated Worker?
You may be a dislocated worker if you have been permanently laid off, or you have received a notice of layoff from employment.
Among those who this program might serve are:
- Dislocated Workers with outdated skills.
- Those who have lost their jobs due to import competition or shift in production outside this country.
- Farmers who have lost their farm.
- Self Employed Individuals who are unemployed as a result of economic conditions in area.
- Workers who have been dislocated by a mass layoff and/or closure.
Where can I go for help?
The best place to start is with your local One-Stop Career Center. You may receive information on these services through our Rapid Response representative if you were part of a larger layoff.
Services are designed to meet local needs and may vary from area to area. Agencies are continually improving the workforce system to better serve you. Some locations may have different services available from those described here. The NCIDC American Indian Rapid Response Project will assist in referring you to appropriate local services in your specfic area.
Additional services available to you may include:
- Use of computers and fax machines for your job search
- Financial planning and stress management workshops
- Financial support for training
- Income support if your job was lost due to foreign trade
- Special services for veterans and adults with disabilities
Connections to Other Re-Employment Service
During Rapid Response, local One-Stop Career Center specialists will be available to help you cope with job change. They will gather information on your needs and begin to organize the services necessary to help you get back to work. Additionally they will introduce you to representatives of many other programs that can help them in the time of transition. The One-Stop system was designed to bring together many separate partners to seamlessly provide an array of services, from resume preparation to job search to placement to supportive services, to anyone who wishes to have access to these services. Every local area has a One-Stop network open to all residents, including those who have been laid off or expect to be laid off from their job.
Benefits of Rapid Response to Workers
The more quickly Rapid Response is begun, the more time is available for laid-off workers to overcome their fears and begin their re-entry into the workforce. Early intervention through Rapid Response allows you to to communicate with your employer about concerns, to take advantage of worker transition committee opportunities, to become involved with peer counseling projects, and to identify, design and oversee layoff aversion and incumbent worker strategies.
When your company allows Rapid Response to take place on the company site and on company time, you will be able to begin services, including training, before you lose your job. The sooner this process is begun, the sooner it can be completed and the more likely that the full array of needed services can be provided to help you become re-employed. Having information and services provided can help you deal with the stress involved with a traumatic event such as a layoff, and additionally can help you get back to work sooner. Be sure to take advantage of whatever services are provided during the Rapid Response process, while you are still employed or while unemployment insurance benefits, severance payments or other financial resources are still available to you.
Trade-Related Layoffs and Plant Closings
With many American jobs being lost due to foreign trade and the phenomenon commonly known as "offshoring," the federal government provides special services to workers whose jobs are lost due to foreign trade. While not all job loss due to foreign competition meets the requirements of the Trade Adjustment Act, the Rapid Response team will work with your company to provide information on the Trade Adjustment Act and the benefits you can receive if your company is certified as trade-affected. Your company, the Rapid Response team, or the workers themselves can file a trade petition with the United States Department of Labor.
Notice of Layoffs
Rapid Response and early intervention services can only be initiated when the NCIDC American Indian Rapid Response (AIRR) project learns of impending layoffs. Companies will often notify Rapid Response programs of a layoff and invite them to come on site to help the workers who will be laid off. In some cases, employers are required to provide 60 days notice before a layoff. Certain mass layoffs and plant closings will meet the criteria of the Worker Adjustment and Retraining (WARN) Act.
Services for Tribes and Employers
Additional Resources and Information