Adult Basic Education (ABE) refers to adult education classes and programs offered to adults, who lack a high school diploma, are not proficient in the English language, or who need help in reading, writing, math, basic computer literacy etc.

Dislocated Worker Unit The state agency responsible for Rapid Response.

Job Corps The largest, most comprehensive residential education and job training program from at-risk youth, age 16 through 24.

Rapid Response Federally funded program providing intervention and support services within 48 hours of announced plant closing or lay-off of 50 or more impacted workers. Many state AFL-CIO's have statewide rapid response teams designed to assist unionized workers whose plants are closing or who are being laid off. Rapid Response can intervene before layoffs take place.

School-to-Work A national initiative to connect schools to workforce needs. It is based on partnerships between the schools and the business community.

Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) provide Federally funded program to training, job search and relocation allowances, income support and other assistance to workers who are laid off or whose hours of work and wages are reduced as a result of increased imports.

Trade Readjustment Allowance (TRA) An income support benefit for workers impacted by imports.

NAFTA Transitional Adjustment Assistance (NAFTA-TAA) assist Federally funded program to workers who are laid off or whose hours of work and wages are reduced as a result of imports from or shift of production to Canada or Mexico.

Transitional Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) (formerly Aid to Families with Dependent Children AFCD) TANF is what we traditionally think of as welfare with the addition of time-limited benefits tied to finding work, and less opportunities for education and training.

Unemployment Insurance (UI), also known as Unemployment Compensation, is a federal-state program that determines eligibility and provides unemployment benefits.

Wagner-Peyser Also called ES or Employment Service, Wagner-Peyser refers to the federal legislation that created the national labor exchange system in 1933 and also to the civil service workers employed by the system. ES provides job counseling, job placement and general labor exchange services.

Welfare-to-Work (WtW) A federally funded job readiness program that emerged in 1997 to help states implement the work requirements of welfare reform. WtW programs generally adhere to the work-first philosophy. These programs have met with limited success to date.

WtW recruits 'hard-to-serve' welfare recipients, provides them with short-term job readiness classes, places them in jobs that need few skills and then offers them post-employment support. Even though the 'hard-to-serve' population that qualify for WtW have little work history and minimal education, under WtW they are not allowed to receive job skills training prior to being placed in a job. Unfortunately, many WtW participants are cycling through entry-level, low wage jobs because they don't have the skills needed to upgrade to higher paying jobs. WtW is a US Department of Labor program.

Workplace Education Adult Basic Education programs targeted to a specific group of workers taking place on-site at the workplace or at the union hall.