There are various grants available to provide workers within companies with new job skills through the Workforce Investment Act of 1998. This Act provides states with the opportunity to streamline service delivery for a host of federal education, training and employment programs. It also provides more flexibility to define the focus and priorities of these programs so that they are customized to reflect the needs of the state and are responsive to employers and employees. One such grant is the H-1B Grant offering training funds to assist employed and unemployed workers in the acquisition and upgrade of technical skills critical to employment in high technology jobs. A 50 percent match is required by the business, either through cash or in-kind contributions.
Early intervention is key when a business is in trouble.
The emphasis is to avert layoffs and, if this isn't possible, to assist with re-employment services. A representative from our office will respond by visiting or calling the employer to attempt to avert the layoffs, when appropriate, through financing, workforce services and economic development assistance. When layoffs cannot be averted, our office becomes involved by assisting dislocated workers with finding other employment. A Rapid Response Activities Coordinator will make initial contact as soon as possible with a company representative, confirm the layoff plans and maintain a continuing relationship while addressing a number of issues. Retraining Our office helps coordinate resources for retraining dislocated workers, financing their retraining, determining what jobs are best for them, and finding another job.