Rapid Response is a pro-active, business-focused, and flexible strategy designed to respond to layoffs and plant closings by quickly coordinating services and providing immediate aid to companies and their affected workers. Rapid Response teams will work with employers and any employee representative(s) to quickly maximize public and private resources to minimize disruptions associated with job loss. Rapid Response can provide customized services for an affected company, accommodate any work schedules, and assist companies and workers through the painful transitions associated with job loss including virtual services as needed.
Rapid Response is carried out by states and local workforce development agencies in partnership with local One Stop Centers. Many services from resume and interview workshops, career counseling, and job search to re-skilling, skills upgrading, and job training.
Rapid Response Serves:
- Rapid Response for Laid-Off Workers who have been displaced. Access a comprehensive range of direct services, benefits, training opportunities, and income support.
- Rapid Response Services to Employers. Avoid future layoffs, access incumbent worker training programs and skilled job seekers, and become familiar with employment rights and regulations such as the WARN Act, administered by the DOL.
Contact
All Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) letters and requests for Rapid Response assistance should be directed to Malissa Short, Virginia Rapid Response Program Manager, at malissa.short@virginiaworks.gov (link sends e-mail)
Trade Impacted Layoffs
Additional services through the Trade Adjustment Assistance program are available for layoffs and plant closures resulting from increased imports or shifts in production out of the United States. Certified individuals may be eligible to receive one or more program benefits and services depending on what is needed to return them to employment, including tax credits to help cover the costs of health coverage.