WAFLA opens a new Training Center in the Tri Cities

WAFLA opens a new Training Center in the Tri Cities

Bob Larson
Bob Larson
With today's Fruit Grower Report, I'm Bob Larson. The hiring of a new Chief Operations Officer isn't the only change happening at WAFLA.

The state's largest farm labor organization has just opened up its first new training center in the Tri Cities.

WAFLA's new COO George Zanatta says training has never been more valuable to the farm labor industry ...

GEORGE ZANATTA ... "Training has been a big part of the services of WAFLA because it is important that the members and their supervisors and their human resources learn what the changes that having H-2A workers implies. So we do the training. It's different to have year-long employee that learns the culture of the company and starts the on-boarding process and you get to know them and then you supervise them. It's different than having a seasonal one that is going to be here for two or three months maybe, or a little bit more. It has some complexities. It has some differences. So, training has been a big part of it."

Zanatta says this may just be the beginning ...

GEORGE ZANATTA ... "So this our first, hopefully not the last. We have big hopes to open up training centers throughout the state, but this is our first one. We're very excited about it!"

Zanatta will help WAFLA CEO Dan Fazio in the processing and tracking of H-2A worker applications, as well as coordinating recruitment, transportation and orientation of workers.

The new 22-hundred-foot facility includes audio-visual equipment, and space to train groups of 50 or more.

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