By Naomi Hatch Former employees of Catalyst’s now defunct Snowflake paper mill are eligible for assistance through a program offered at Northland Pioneer College. On Jan. 10, the U.S. Department of Labor and Employment Training Administration, Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) certified Catalyst, qualifying former employees for help to find employment. The impact date was Oct. 1, 2012, and the expiration date for assistance is Jan. 10, 2016. Former Catalyst employees should have received a letter from the Arizona TAA coordinator that explains the various TAA benefits and how they can apply. TAA assistance is offered when workers are unemployed due to increased imports from or production shifts to foreign countries. The goal of the TAA program is, “to help trade-affected workers return to suitable employment as quickly as possible.” Former Catalyst employees now have access to job search allowances, relocation allowances, retraining and the Health Coverage Tax Credit program, and participants found eligible who require retraining so they can find suitable employment are eligible to receive occupational training or on-the-job training. The TAA program is administered in Arizona by the Arizona Department of Economic Security. In September, NPC hired John Spadaccini as a career coach as part of Arizona Sun Corridor Get into Energy Consortium. One of his responsibilities is to recruit dislocated workers who are eligible for TAA benefits. For more information on energy programs offered at NPC, contact Spadaccini at (928) 524-7454 or john.spadaccini@npc.edu.