Located in:
- Program-Specific Requirements for Wagner-Peyser Program (Employment Services)
All Program-Specific Requirements provided for the WIOA core programs in this section must be addressed for either a Unified or Combined State Plan.
- e. Agricultural Outreach Plan (aop). Each State Agency Must Develop an Aop Every Four Years as Part of the Unified or Combined State Plan Required Under Sections 102 or 103 of WIOA. the Aop Must Include--
- 1. Assessment of NeedProvide an assessment of the unique needs of farmworkers in the area based on past and projected agricultural and farmworker activity in the State. Such needs may include but are not limited to: employment, training, and housing.
- 1. Assessment of Need
- e. Agricultural Outreach Plan (aop). Each State Agency Must Develop an Aop Every Four Years as Part of the Unified or Combined State Plan Required Under Sections 102 or 103 of WIOA. the Aop Must Include--
e. 1. B. An Assessment of the Unique Needs of Farmworkers Means Summarizing Migrant and Seasonal Farm Worker (msfw) Characteristics (including if They Are Predominantly from Certain Countries, What Language(s) They Speak, the Approximate Number of Msfws in the State During Peak Season and During Low Season, and Whether They Tend to Be Migrant, Seasonal, or Year-round Farmworkers). This Information Must Take into Account Data Supplied by WIOA Section 167 National Farmworker Jobs Program (nfjp) Grantees, Other Msfw Organizations, Employer Organizations, and State And/or Federal Agency Data Sources Such as the U.s. Department of Agriculture and the U.s. Department of Labor (dol) Employment and Training Administration.
Current Narrative:
Colorado’s MSFW population is difficult to track due to the mobility of workers from crop to crop and farm to farm. Current estimates of farmworkers during peak season are approximately 5,000 workers that consist of approximately 70% seasonal and 30% migrant. During the low season Colorado has approximately 3,500 farmworkers who are almost all seasonal. Year round farmworker numbers are not included in this estimate as it is difficult to guess the number as this population does not necessarily use the workforce system or apply for unemployment insurance. H2A workers are also not included in this estimate with 1,524 workers certified in FY14.
Colorado farm workers continue to have difficulty locating housing that is available and affordable. Migrant farm workers can’t sign year-long leases or have difficulty passing credit checks, this makes housing difficult to acquire. In certain parts of Colorado where the oil boom is strong, oil workers have taken up temporary housing such as affordable long term motels.
Colorado’s farm workers predominately speak Spanish with a very small population that speaks Karen. Most H2A workers come from Mexico, Chile, Peru, and South Africa. Those foreign workers that do not speak English mostly speak Spanish with a small group that speaks Creole.