17 Jan Attention Mecklenburg County employers
Increase your bottom line by improving your employees’ skills with an Incumbent Workforce Development grant (IWDG)! Awards of up to $25,000 are available to boost your employees’ value to your company and help your business compete both regionally and globally.
The IWDG program offers competitive retention-solution grants that qualifying businesses can use to address their employees’ skills gaps. The results are employees with increased knowledge and value to the company and a company that is more competitive both regionally and globally.
With training provided through an IWDG, your employees can:
- qualify for a job with changing skill requirements; or
- qualify for a higher-paying job with your business, or with another company; or
- obtain the skills and knowledge to perform work that is at a higher level than that of their current positions.
In the Fall 2013 round, we received 18 applications and made awards to 11 businesses.
Details, details
How do you know if your business is eligible? It is if it’s:
- located in Mecklenburg County,
- either a for-profit or nonprofit company that has been in operation for a minimum of one year prior to application,
- current on all federal and state tax obligations and
- financially viable.
Grants are awarded competitively; the maximum amount is $25,000. (The lifetime funding limit is $40,000.)
An IWDG can provide either occupational or educational training:
- Occupational training is designed to meet your company’s special requirements.
- Educational training includes, but isn’t limited to, workplace literacy, basic and/or soft skills or English-as-a-second-language.
Allowable training costs include:
- instructors’/trainers’ salaries,
- tuition,
- online training,
- textbooks/manuals used 100-percent for training activities and/or
- materials/supplies directly related to the funded training.
Training must be completed within 12 months of the IWDG award.
Charlotte Works’ Employer Engagement/Business Services team will provide technical assistance throughout the application process.
IWDG Orientation: You should come!
Charlotte Works will host an IWDG orientation session on Tuesday, February 18, from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. at the Employer Engagement Center (1401 W. Morehead Street, Suite 100, Charlotte 28208). Registration is required. There is no cost to attend.
In this session, you will:
- learn more about the IWDG program,
- be armed with helpful hints for completing the IWDG application and
- meet our staff (We work one-on-one with all businesses that are awarded IWDG funds.).
“There’s a direct correlation between those companies that attend orientation and those companies that are awarded a grant,” notes Craig Cole, vice president of employer engagement. “We walk through the application and tell you what it takes to get it funded. This is a valuable two-hour investment for companies.”
Cole points out that orientation is also an opportunity to meet members of Charlotte Works’ employer engagement team, who not only provide hands-on assistance during the application process, but are also significantly involved in the decision-making.
In addition, attendees will hear about training options from several local vendors.
How do I apply?
Your first step is to register to attend the IWDG orientation session on Tuesday, February 18, from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. at Charlotte Works’ Employer Engagement Center (1401 W. Morehead Street, Suite 100, Charlotte 28208). Registration is required. There is no cost to attend.
If you are unable to attend orientation, you must contact Demone Frink, business project coordinator (704-206-1347), to discuss the guidelines and eligibility requirements.
The deadline to submit your IWDG application is Thursday, March 20, at 4 p.m.
What else?
If your business is located outside of Mecklenburg County, locate your local Division of Workforce Solutions or workforce development board office to contact about the program in your county.
(Image courtesy pixelperfectdigital.com.)