Workforce Development Program

Under the Labor Code, in Chapter 4, Sections 1400-1408, WARN protects workers, their families, and communities by requiring employers to provide 60-day advance notice of layoffs to affected workers and employees. local representatives of the city and the state, for the closure of a company or for a massive layoff. Advance notice of layoff provides affected workers and their families time to prepare for job loss, time to seek other employment, and, if necessary, time to receive job training or retraining in order to successfully compete in the labor market.

How do I file a WARN Act notice?

When the employer notifies its employees that they will be affected by the closure of a company or by a massive layoff, the employer must use a reasonable specific method to notify its employees, which ensures that they will receive notice of the layoff within 60 days. of anticipation. For example, by post, personal delivery with the option of a signed receipt, etc.

The State Unit for Displaced Workers and Employers (UETDP) or the Local Labor Development Area will assist you so that you can communicate with the main elected official (Mayor) of the Municipality affected by the layoff or the closure of a company. For more information, visit the Directory of Local Labor Development Areas .

To file a WARN Notice, email prwarnnotices@ddec.pr.gov. At this address, provide the following information:

• Name and address of the place of employment where the company closure or massive layoff will occur.     
• Name and telephone number of the company's contact person, in case more information is required.     
• Statement on whether the action planned for the termination of the layoff will be permanent or temporary; and if the company will be closed completely.     
• The indicated date of the first layoff and the planned dates of subsequent layoffs.     
• Titles of the job positions that will be affected by the layoff and the number of workers that will be laid off for each job classification.     
• When layoffs occur in different places of employment, provide the number of workers laid off and the title of job positions for each workplace.     
• Name of the labor union / union representing the workers affected by the dismissal.     
• Name and postal address of the director chosen by each union / union.     

For more information on the WARN notice, go to https://www.dol.gov/agencies/eta/layoffs/warn

All WARN notices must be submitted in writing:

• To the representative of the affected employees and / or to each employee, if they are not represented.     
• To the Mayor of the place where the closure or layoffs arises.     
• To the State Unit for Displaced Workers and Employers of the DDEC:

Department of Economic Development and Commerce (DDEC)

Att. State Unit for Displaced Workers and Employers

Work Development Program

Avenida FD Roosevelt # 355 Hato Rey, PR 00918

PO Box 1921594/16/2021 San Juan, PR 00919-2159 Tel: 787-754-5504 ext. 5286 Email: prwarnnotices@ddec.pr.gov

• To the Department of Labor and Human Resources Att. Department of Labor and Human Resources Prudencio Rivera Martínez Building Avenida Muñoz Rivera # 505 San Juan, PR 00918     

Report of WARN Notifications Submitted to the State Unit for Dislocated Workers and Employers

• WARN NOTICE LAW  2019-2020
• WARN NOTICE LAW  2021

ASSISTANCE PROGRAM FOR TRADE ADJUSTMENTS      

TRADE ADJUSTMENT ASSISTANCE (TAA)      

The Trade Act of 1974 established the Trade Adjustment Assistance Program (TAA) to assist workers who have lost their jobs as a result of international trade. It provides the affected worker with the opportunity to train in TAA, receive financial benefits and support to reintegrate into the workforce.      

Benefits and services for posted workers:      

• Reemployment Services       
• Career Coaching       
• Case Management       
• Long-Term Training Payment       
• Financial assistance for eligible workers who are taking training and exhausting their Unemployment Insurance benefits.       
• Relocation Stipend       
• Job Search Stipend       
• Salary Subsidy for Readjustment on Re-employment for workers aged 50 and over.       
• Subsidy for Transportation and Subsistence Expenses       

Benefits and services to employers      

On the Job Training (OJT)      

It consists of a training provided by an employer to a TAA certified worker whom they have hired; It provides you with the essential knowledge and skills for you to achieve proper and upstanding job performance while you are employed. The employer receives a reimbursement of up to 50% of the certified worker's salary and up to a maximum of 104 weeks     

Customized Training      

Designed to meet the needs of an employer or group of employers, with the commitment to retain the worker in employment. This training is carried out by a separate instructor, the employer agrees to employ the workers, once they successfully complete the training. The employer receives a reimbursement of up to 50% for certified classroom training and up to a maximum of 130 weeks.     

Applying to qualify for TAA benefits and assistance is the first step. The application form can be completed on the website http://www.doleta.gov/tradeact; through a representative of the State Unit for Dislocated Workers and Employers or contact the US Department of Labor (DOL) in Washington at 1-888-365-6822.     

The application can be requested by different sectors:     

• Three or more workers from the same company or its subdivision.       
• The employer of the laid off workers.       
• Union leader or some duly authorized representative.       
• Representatives of the Labor Force System.       

The application identifies a group of Workers of the same company or subdivision, and includes all the members of that group. The certification request must be submitted to the US Department of Labor (DOL) during the layoff year for workers to be eligible under the Program.     

Special Projects     

The PDL has funds available from WIOA, for the development of innovative, creative and productive projects, aimed at training workers eligible under the WIOA, as well as companies or industries in need of recruiting employees or updating the skills of their existing workers .     

In order to obtain the funds through reimbursement, it is necessary for employers to request and meet the criteria and requirements necessary for qualification, approval and hiring.     

Training activities     

The following guide provides employers with the process of qualification and requests for funds in an agile, simple and fast way. The manual describes the instructions to complete said qualification and application, together with the documents required to file and evaluate them.     

On-the-job training- Structured training provided by a public or private sector employer, for profit or not, to a worker who earns wages while performing productive work on a job, which provides new knowledge or new skills essential to a full and adequate performance of work.     

Custom Training - It is designed and developed to meet the particular needs of an employer or group of employers, with the commitment to retain in employment those workers who successfully complete the training. The employer has the following options to select the resources necessary to offer training to employees.     

External Resources - Professionals (individuals) and / or non-educational entities that provide training services (training) and that have the necessary credentials to offer the required training.     

Educational Institutions - Colleges, institutions and / or universities that provide continuing education services, certifications and / or degrees and that have the necessary credentials to offer the required training.     

Internal Resources - Internal personnel of the applicant company who have the competencies (knowledge, experience, skills, abilities and attitude) to train (train) a new employee in a particular professional or vocational occupation.     

Training for Incumbent Workers - It is training designed to meet the special requirements of an employer or group of employers to retain a skilled workforce or avoid the need to lay off employees by assisting workers in obtaining the skills necessary to retain employment. The training is conducted with the employer's commitment to retain or avoid the layoffs of the trained incumbent workers.     

REGISTERED APPRENTICESHIP PROGRAM

Governor Pedro Pierluisi, through Administrative Bulletin No.: P-2022-251, recognizes from November 14 to 20, 2022, the National Apprenticeship Week, urging us to promote and expand this program in Puerto Rico. 

PROCLAMATION

What is the Registered Apprenticeship program?

The Registered Apprenticeship system has been used to meet the occupational needs of the United States workforce for more than 80 years. It is a unique and flexible training system that combines job-related technical theory or related instruction with the structured experience of on-the-job training, also known as on-the-job training. Registered Apprenticeship is the leading initiative in preparing workers in America to compete in a 21st century global economy.

Why? Because it is a specific and standardized teaching system that keeps pace with advanced technologies for the training and development of human resources.

The Registered Apprenticeship system is the ideal opportunity for workers seeking competitive and well-paid jobs; and to employers seeking to develop a highly skilled, cutting-edge workforce that can cope with the changes and demands of the global marketplace.

In this sense, Registered Apprenticeship effectively meets the needs of employers and workers. Registered Apprenticeship is extremely active in traditional industries such as construction and manufacturing. Still, it is making rapid progress in the medical services, energy, communications, IT and national security sectors.

Registered Apprenticeship program requirements

Registered Apprenticeship programs are a written plan designed to direct an apprentice with low or no skills to achieve a range of competitive skills within a given occupation. These programs must comply with the parameters established in the National Apprenticeship Law designed to protect the well-being of the apprentice. The Act and its enacted regulations are administered by the Office of Apprenticeship (OA) of the Federal Department of Labor (USDOL) or a State Apprenticeship Agency (SAA) approved by the secretary of the Federal Department of Labor for such purposes.

Each Registered Apprenticeship program is sponsored by an individual company or an association of companies. Other organizations that could work these programs in conjunction with employers are: labor unions, universities, vocational technical colleges or specialized training providers.

Upon completion of the training program, the apprentice obtains a nationally recognized credential issued by USDOL which validates the formal training received in the given occupation.

There are also representative entities of the industries, identified asStandards Recognition Entities, SER for its acronym in English, which through an application process are recognized by the USDOL Office of Apprenticeship to administer Registered Apprenticeship programs. SERs can: specialized industries, employer groups, associations, higher education institutions, among others.

The sponsor of each Registered Apprenticeship program identifies the minimum requirements necessary to participate in their Apprenticeship program. The eligible starting age cannot be less than 16 years old; however, candidates generally must be 18 years old to apprentice into hazardous occupations. Program sponsors may also identify additional minimum qualifications and credentials to apply, for example, prior education, fitness, or physical skills to perform the essential functions of the occupation. Other methods such as aptitude tests, interviews and previous work experience, are valid requirements that sponsors can demand of candidates who are interested in entering the program.

Advantages of the Program

Benefits of the Registered Apprenticeship system for apprentices:

• Improvement of skills and competencies to meet the specific needs of the employer.
• Promotes salary increases as your skills and knowledge improve.
• It is job training and education focused on occupation.
• Pursue the professional growth of the apprentice inside or outside his industry.
• Obtaining a credential issued by the USDOL or the industry, recognized nationally.

Benefits for employers include:

• Personalized training resulting in highly skilled employees trained in company and industry specifications.
• Increased productivity and knowledge transfer due to the assistance and following of a mentor in on-the-job learning and related technical instruction.
• Higher retention: "87 percent of the apprentices who completed the program in 2011 were still employed nine months after completing their apprenticeship."
• Reduction in workers' compensation expenses: Training emphasizes the importance of carrying out tasks with health and safety in mind, helping to reduce compensation costs for accidents in the workplace.
• Opportunity to develop stable and predictable workers who fill positions of responsibility as business needs increase.
• Space to observe and evaluate the areas where the employer must reinforce and the employee must strengthen his improvement process.
• A proven training model that guarantees to bring certified employees to the highest levels required by the occupation and allows employers to establish the benchmark and structure that can determine the Return on Investment in dollars.

ROLE OF THE GOVERNMENT

The Department of Economic Development and Commerce through the Workforce Development Program is the state agency in Puerto Rico authorized by the USDOL Office of Apprenticeship (OA) to administer the Registered Apprenticeship program on the island. Our office is responsible for:

1. Register apprenticeship programs that meet federal standards.
2. Watch over the safety and well-being of the apprentices.
3. Apply to USDOL for nationally recognized and portable credentials once trainees complete their training program.
4. Promote the development of new programs through marketing and technical assistance to future sponsors.
5. Ensure that all programs adhere to the fundamentals of the Registered Apprenticeship program for the benefit of apprentices.
6. Ensure that all programs provide high-quality training.
7. Ensure that all programs produce skilled and competent workers for the benefit of their industries.

ADDITIONAL NOTES

Immediate work!

Apprentices start working from day one receiving salary increases[1] as they become more competent on the job[2] . Apprenticeships range from one to six years, but most are two to four years long. In 2011, more than 130,000 people in the United States became apprentices.

Work and educate yourself!

Apprenticeship is the only training model where you learn and generate income in a combination of theory and structured practice accompanied by work guided by a mentor.

Receive related instruction, through the internal resources of the employer, technical schools, community colleges or other higher education institutions in person or at a distance, applying the most efficient technological resources so that you enjoy yourlearningprocess .

Your objective: Todevelop the maximum of your skills and knowledge in the well-being of your professional career and for the benefit of your employer.

Don't you have a diploma?

Upon completion of a Registered Apprenticeship program, participants receive a credential issued by the Federal Department of Labor or by industry, nationally recognized and portable. This credential - equivalent to a diploma - certifies occupational competence, and opens the way to a career path. In many cases, these programs provide apprentices with the opportunity to pursue or continue secondary and post-secondary education simultaneously. In 2011, more than 55,000 participants across the United States graduated from a Registered Apprenticeship program.

[1] The amount and frequency of salary increases are determined by the employers. Neither the DDEC nor the PDL has the power to determine the amount or frequency of the salary increases.

[2] To meet the standards of the Registered Apprenticeship program, employers assume responsibility for awarding the salary increase (s) to the apprentice completing a certain number of hours of on-the-job training. The interval of hours between increases is determined by the employer.