NEWS
Department of Workforce Services Encourage Training Fund Grant Applications
CHEYENNE - The Department of Workforce Services Business Training and Outreach Division encourages statewide businesses to continue to apply for the Training Fund Grants available through the department.
Laurie Timm, Workforce Development Training Fund Program Manager for the Wyoming Department of Workforce Services, stressed the importance of businesses statewide making continuing use of the Business Training Grants Program. "Business Training Grants were established to correct employee skill deficiencies or upgrade employee skills. To accomplish this, Business Training Grants provide funding to businesses to offset all or a portion of training expenses. As a result, the training should enhance the business' productivity, efficiency and profitability as well as reduce employee turnover," Timm said. "We encourage businesses to give us a call and we can walk them through the grant process individually," she added.
The two types of Business Training Grants, grants for existing positions and grants for new positions, each provides innovative methods to fund employee training in a manner that best fits the business' current situation.
Grants for Existing Positions are tailored to a business' existing employees that need a skill upgrade or retraining in a particular occupation. The Grants for Existing Positions allows up to $2,000 per trainee per fiscal year. Businesses accessing these funds are required to match 40 percent of the total training costs and the Training Fund covers the remaining 60 percent (although restrictions do apply). Each grant must be at least $300. Funds for these grants are limited and only allowable expenses will be considered.
Grants for New Positions are valuable as recruitment and expansion tools for economic development in Wyoming. Employees may qualify for funding under this program if the business is new or expanding. To qualify as a new position, businesses must document that the position was created within the last 180 days and constitutes a net increase in the number of employees working for the business. The Grants for New Positions allow between $1,000 to $4,000 per training per fiscal year, depending on the amount of the hourly wage, and a business match is not required.
The trainee's wage while in training may also be covered by these grants. These wages are considered when awarding the final contract amount. Each grant must be at least $300.
For more information on the Business Training Fund Grants or on the Wyoming Department of Workforce Services, please visit the Training Fund page or call 307-777-8650.
Listen to the audio from Laurie Timm, Workforce Development Training Fund Program Manager for the Wyoming Department of Workforce Services.
