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 Approved

Connecticut 76

Maine 2,687

Massachusetts 1,002

New Hampshire 144

Rhode Island 124

Grand 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 a

t all r

eleva

nt

Slight

ly re

levan

t

Mod

erat

ely re

levan

t

Very

relev

ant

0%

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:

Bette

r com

pete

with

fore

ign

com

petiti

on

Bette

r bus

ines

s effic

ienc

y

Reduc

e co

sts

Evalu

ate

alte

rnat

ive e

nter

prise

s

Devel

op n

ew m

arke

ting

oppo

rtuni

ties

Start

a ne

w bus

ines

s

Exit o

r dec

ide

to g

o ou

t of b

usin

ess

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

TrainingCash

Intensive Training

Not a

t all f

avor

able

Slight

ly fa

vora

ble

Mod

erat

ely fa

vora

ble

Very

favo

rable

Extre

mely

favo

rable

0%

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