Rural Telework Project

Introduction
Our information-based, global economy provides new opportunities for jobs in rural communities. Telework uses information and computer technology to allow employees to perform work from a location remote from the central office. Telework is effective for a broad range of jobs, especially for knowledge workers-from back office occupations (i.e., data management, medical transcriptionists, customer service, claims processing) to highly skilled occupations (i.e., software engineers, project managers, writers, nurses). While the majority of these teleworkers are in urban areas, technology today makes it possible for work to occur anywhere.

Rural telework takes advantage of technology advancements and enables businesses to offer jobs outside of urban areas. Teleworkers can either work for these companies as employees or under contract. Although some businesses may chose to develop a facility to house operations, telework does not require expensive relocation or expansion costs. There are a variety of models of rural telework-from individuals working out of home-based offices to telework centers where multiple employers have employees working in a shared facility. These telework centers can also serve as a community technology resource site, providing access and training on computers and the Internet. Another example of rural telework is the expansion of current operations into rural communities, as is the case with contact centers or customer service branch offices. Telework is flexible and scalable, based on the needs and interests of employers, communities and individual workers.

The overall economy is strengthened and diversified by rural telework. Rural telework jobs provide urban employers with new opportunities to meet human capital needs and reduce costs. Each job located outside urban areas may mean one less commuter in peak hour traffic-a potentially positive impact on the current infrastructure and environment. Telework jobs benefit rural communities by providing living wage jobs, reducing out-migration, providing year-round employment and diversifying the economy in regions experiencing depletion in natural resource-based jobs. In rural communities where government and industry have made telecom infrastructure investments, rural telework provides a return on those investments by strategically utilizing the improved infrastructure for job creation. In addition, rural communities where telecommunications infrastructure investments are not being made, rural telework can stimulate infrastructure improvements by increasing the demand for services.

For over 12 years Washington State University Cooperative Extension Energy Program (WSU) has worked with urban businesses providing telework promotion and assistance. In 1999, WSU telework staff began exploring the use of telecommunications in rural communities as an economic development tool and the idea of rural telework as a new business strategy for employers. Research was conducted and case studies of successful rural telework activities in other states were developed. Twenty-three Puget Sound employers were interviewed (a.) to better understand employer attitudes, needs, challenges and barriers associated with rural telework. Even with the economic challenges over the past two years, employers identified attraction and retention of a qualified workforce, expense reduction and disaster preparedness/business continuation as potential benefits of rural telework.

During this same period, three rural regions were selected to participate in a multi-year rural telework research project. The regions include the town of Forks (b.), Okanogan County (c.), and the Northeastern Region (d.) of Washington which includes Stevens, Pend Oreille and Ferry counties as well as the city of Deer Park. These are among the most seriously affected regions in the state with struggling natural resource-based economies, high unemployment, low-wage jobs, and an out-migration of young adults. Each region has an interest in rural telework and a strong local team working toward upgrading its telecommunications infrastructure and workforce readiness.

Project Description
The Rural Telework Project will preserve the economic viability of rural communities by providing economic diversification and growth. The goal of this project is to strengthen and diversify the economy of rural communities through telework job creation. The outline below provides a brief description of each project objective.

Objective 1: Build community capacity for sustainability
The project supports sustainability for selected communities to recruit and retain telework jobs by providing education, assistance, and an opportunity for networking with other communities. It is important that selected communities embrace rural telework as an important economic development strategy and that they actively participate in all aspects of this project.

WSU will collaborate with existing local planning teams in each community and assist them to identify necessary preparations for new telework jobs including the development of telecommunications infrastructure and workforce readiness assessments. WSU will also assist selected communities to develop a marketing strategy to attract rural telework jobs from urban employers.

To insure sustainability, WSU will provide ongoing community awareness of rural telework by conducting outreach efforts such as community forums or technology fairs. WSU will facilitate networking among selected communities through meetings and conference calls among community teams and through a project website. Finally, WSU will create an inventory of Washington employers with interest in, and appropriate jobs for, rural telework. The inventory will help identify the potential for rural telework in Washington and can be replicated in other states.

Objective 2: Create new telework jobs in each selected community
The success of this project depends on the willingness and ability of employers to provide telework jobs in rural Washington. WSU will assist in establishing working relationships between selected communities and urban employers and will broker initial discussions to investigate potential rural telework arrangements. Successful matches will depend on how close a fit there is between employer needs and community capabilities.

WSU will assist employers and communities in identifying potential employment candidates with basic skills necessary for the telework jobs. Community teams will work with employers to announce job availability and attract applicants. Employers will review applications, hold interviews, hire qualified applicants and provide job-specific training. The community will be responsible for working with higher education or private trainers to provide ongoing basic training sufficient to maintain a ready supply of qualified workers.

Objective 3: Increase the knowledge and skill level of teleworkers and telemanagers
It will be important for new teleworkers to understand the communication and work management techniques necessary to work remote from an employer's main office. It will also be important for managers to have training on how to manage remote workers. Through collaboration with four other states, together known as the Telework Collaborative (e.), WSU will develop a web-based telework course to offer distance learning for teleworkers and their managers.

Objective 4: Understand impacts of telework on communities and employers.
A key element of the Rural Telework Project is to research and evaluate the impacts of telework on rural communities and urban employers. Project research will help understand the implications of increasing information-based jobs in rural communities. WSU will collaborate with the Oregon Office of Energy (OOE) (f.) on related research being conducted in that state. Research teams from both states will coordinate on all aspects of research/evaluation planning and implementation including the final research report documenting research findings, evaluating project implementation and highlighting lessons learned and best practices.

Objective 5: Use research findings and lessons learned to promote rural telework
WSU will collaborate with the Office of Energy (OOE) to encourage development of rural telework in other communities by broadly disseminating research and evaluation findings and developing a Rural Telework Resource Kit.

WSU and OOE will compile findings and lessons learned from the research/evaluation effort and all materials developed in both projects into a comprehensive Rural Telework Resource Kit (g.) containing a guidebook and a video. The guidebook will provide step-by-step information for communities on how to plan for, attract and retain rural telework jobs. It will include resource materials such as sample marketing plans, telecommunications and workforce assessment questionnaires and information from the employer survey. The video will highlight the experiences of participating communities and employers from both states.