TAA Report & UpdateLobster

2013 Biennial Northeast Regional Sea Grant Meeting

Curtis Mahnken

Nov 19, 2013

TAA Report & Update• Provide results

– Training results

– Evaluation results

• Insights

• Implications for future training

TAA for Farmers

Purpose

To help agricultural producers & fishermen adjust to foreign import competition in a global market

TAA for Farmers• TAA is a job retraining program with a

cash incentive

• TAA for Farmers is a training program with a cash incentive

TAA for Farmers• USDA Agencies

– Foreign Ag Service (FAS): lead agency

– Farm Service Agency (FSA): accepts applications, makes payments

– National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA): delivers technical assistance

– Economic Research Service (ERS): helps review commodity petitions

TAA for Farmers-Training Coordination

Lobster Applications

State Applied ApprovedConnecticut 76Maine 2,687Massachusetts 1,002New Hampshire 144Rhode Island 124Grand Total 4,033

Initial Orientation• Educators had 90 days from end of the

application period to deliver the Initial Orientation

• Program overview, including workshops available to applicants

• Available in-person and online

• 3,834 completed (95%)

Initial Training

Intensive Training• Applicants needed to complete at least 12

hours of training

• Complete in-person or online

• Six Lobster specific workshops offered

• Eight national workshops offered

Lobster Specific Workshops• Energy Consumption

and Fishing Efficiency for Lobstermen

• Product Quality and Handling (Lobster)

• Alternative Enterprises (Lobster)

• Lobster Market Overview

• Changing Business Models for Lobstermen

• Lobster Marketing Opportunities

Intensive Training• 3,220 applicants completed at least 12

hours (84%)

• 283 completed 15 or more hours

• Most hours completed by Lobster applicant: 29 (12 different applicants)

• View the workshops at www.TAAforFarmers.org

www.TAAforFarmers.org

Initial Business Plan• Short, six question plan to assess how

applicant plans to incorporate workshops into their business

• Eligible for first cash payment: $971

• 3,203 completed (99%)

Long Term Business Plan• Applicant assigned to a Business Planning

Consultant to coach through process

• Used AgPlan for developing

• Eligible for 2nd payment: $1,942

• 2,966 completed long term business plans-93%

Evaluating TAA• Applicants were evaluated:

– Prior to training

– After Initial Orientation

– After each completed workshop

– After completing Initial Business Plan

– After completing Long Term Business Plan

– One year after completing LTBP

RESULTSLobster TAA Evaluation

Intensive Training

2% 10%

44%

44%

How favorable would you rate the overall TAA technical assistance trainings and workshops?

Not at all favorableSlightly favorableModerately favorableVery favorable

Intensive Training

Not at

all re

levan

t

Slightl

y rele

vant

Modera

tely r

eleva

nt

Very re

levan

t0%

20%

40%

60%

2.6%19.1%

50.3%

28.1%

How relevant were the TAA technical assistance train-ings and workshops to your situation?

0%

20%

40%

How much did you learn that will:

Nothing A little Some Quite a bit A great deal

Intensive Training

Intensive Training

2.0

3.0

4.0

2.90 2.85 2.853.24 3.22 3.02

Describe Your Level of Knowledge

Pre-Assessment After Training

As a result of the TAA training & cash, will you take actions to:

Better

compe

te with

forei

gn co

mpetiti

on

Better

busin

ess e

fficien

cy

Reduc

e cos

ts

Evalua

te alt

ernati

ve en

terpri

ses

Develo

p new

mark

eting

oppo

rtunit

ies

Start a

new bu

sines

s

Exit or

decid

e to g

o out

of bu

sines

s0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

TrainingCash

Intensive Training

Not at

all fa

vorab

le

Slightl

y fav

orable

Modera

tely f

avora

ble

Very fa

vorab

le

Extrem

ely fa

vorab

le0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

View of Intensive Training-One Year Out

LobsterOverall

Business Planning

Burden Opportunity0%

10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%

100%

7%

93%

6%

94%

Did you view the LTBP as a burden or opportunity?

LobsterOverall

Business Planning

Not useful Slightly useful Moderately useful

Very useful0%5%

10%15%20%25%30%35%40%45%

Did you find writing the LTBP useful for looking at the future of your business?

Business Planning

Not at all Slightly Moderately Very Extremely0%5%

10%15%20%25%30%35%40%

Rate the following two items as beneficial to your business

Business plan you wroteFeedback received from educators and consultant

Did you make any changes?

Yes67%

No33%

Have you made any changes as a result of the TAA trainings or the business plan you developed?

Was the training/cash you received from the TAA program

worth the effort?

Training Cash50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

95.1% 92.5%

96.4% 95.2%

LobsterOverall

INSIGHTSLobster TAA Evaluation

Online Training

In-Person Online Combination0%5%

10%15%20%25%30%35%40%45%

15.1%

44.0%40.9%

Prior to Training: Preference to Complete TAA Training

Online Training

<20 20-30 30-40 40-50 50-60 60+0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

How would you prefer to receive TAA training?

In-PersonOnlineCombination

Online Training

1,86912%

13,89988%

Mode of Lobster Intensive Training

In PersonOnline

Online Training

Not beneficial Somewhat beneficial Very beneficial0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

How beneficial were the TAA training materials posted on the website?

LobsterOverall

Business Planning

No value Slight Moderate Large0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

2.5%7.2%

28.5%

61.9%

Did meeting with your consul-tant add value to the trainings

you took?

Poor Fair Good Excellent0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

1.0% 4.8%

22.9%

71.4%

How would you rate your business plan consultant ex-

perience?

IMPLICATIONSLobster TAA Evaluation

More training?

Yes45%

No55%

Are you interested in additional intensive business management training?

More training?

One-on-one Small group Online0%

10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%

39.0%29.4%

70.2%

How would you prefer to take additional training?

More training?

<20 20-30 30-40 40-50 50-60 60+ Total0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

Training Mode Desired by Age

One-on-OneSmall-GroupOnline

Would you participate again?

Not at all likely

Slightly likely Moderately likely

Very likely Extremely likely

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

35%

40%

4.3%

10.0%

16.0%

37.0%32.9%

Quotes• I was somewhat reluctant in the beginning

not knowing what to expect, but I found it to be a source of valuable information that me and my husband can both utilize and plan to utilize in the future.

Concluding thoughts• 3,220 lobster applicants trained

• 2,966 long term business plans completed

• Training was well received – 85% found at least moderately favorable a

year after completing their business plan

• Amount of cash payment did have an affect, though not as large as anticipated

Concluding thoughts• There is a desire for more training

• Applicants preferred to access training online as opposed to traditional methods

• Overall-hybrid method of delivery achieved highly regarded results amongst participants

Lobster Commodity Development Team

• UCONN– Tessa Getchis

– Anoushka Concepcion

• Maine– Dana Morse

– Annie Tselikis – Maine Lobstermen’s Assoc

• MIT– Madeleine Hall-Arber

• UNH– Erik Chapman

– Ken La Valley

• URI– Scott Donahue