Incumbent Worker Training program funding available
November 6, 2017
Training Incumbent Workers to Provide Skills Employers Need
Incumbent Worker Training Assistance (IWT) is available under provisions of the Workforce Innovations and Opportunity Act to assist employers in training currently employed workers, keeping businesses and workers competitive.
Private Sector South Carolina employers in the counties of Berkeley, Charleston and Dorchester are eligible to receive funds and must use the IWT assistance to train incumbent workers. The program aims to assist with expansion and changing skill requirements caused by new technology, product lines, organization restrictions and retooling.
New requirements are outlined in detail in the application and highlighted below.
INCUMBENT WORKER DEFINED
To qualify as an incumbent worker, the incumbent worker needs to be:
- Employed;
- Meet the Fair Labor Standards Act requirements for an employer-employee relationship; and
- Have an established employment history with the employer for six months or more, unless the training is to a group or cohort of employees and the majority of employees have been employed with the business for six months or more.
BUSINESS MATCH
Businesses or consortia participating in IWT are required to pay for the non-Federal share of the cost of providing training to their employees, which must not be less than:
- 10 percent of the costs for a business location with no more than 50 employees.
- 25 percent of the costs for a business location with more than 50 employees, but no more than 100 employees.
- 50 percent of the costs for a business location with more than 100 employees.
APPLICATIONS
IWT funds (excluding Rapid Response funded IWT) are awarded on a competitive basis and given priority based on:
- Applications representing an upgrade in employee skills or employee wage increases as a result of the training must demonstrate in the application, which increases employee skill levels for future promotion within the company and create backfill opportunities for less-skilled employees.
- Applications with training plans emphasizing occupational skills training.
- Applications representing a layoff avoidance strategy and provide retention opportunities.
- Applications for businesses that have not already received an IWT agreement during the prior or current program year.
BUSINESS ELIGIBILITY
Training entities and providers are not eligible for IWT funding or to act on behalf of a business or group of businesses as a third party.
For more information or assistance with the application process, contact Sharon Goss, Workforce Development Director, SC Works Trident at (843) 529-0400 ext. 203 or via email at [email protected]. Please visit toscc.org or bcdcog.com for information and an application.
About BCDCOG
The Berkeley-Charleston-Dorchester Council of Governments is a three-county regional agency that offers a variety of planning, economic development and social services to grow and develop the tri-county area. BCDCOG’s purpose is to strengthen the individual and collective power of local governments and to help them recognize regional opportunities, eliminate unnecessary duplication, and make joint decisions. For the latest on BCDCOG, visit www.bcdcog.com, like us on Facebook or follow on Twitter at @BDCCoG.
