TN Department of Labor & Workforce Development

Employment & Training
Incumbent Worker Training Program
2008/2009
Guidelines

The Incumbent Worker Training Program is funded by the Federal Workforce Investment Act (WIA) and administered by the Workforce Development division within the Tennessee Department of Labor & Workforce Development, the Local Workforce Investment Area (LWIA contact), and the local career center. The purpose of the program is to provide grants to employers to assist with certain expenses associated with skills upgrade training for full-time employees of the company. High Skill/High demand training is encouraged. Soft skill training that does not directly enhance skills upgrade is discouraged. The maximum grant amount is $50,000 to for-profit companies and $25,000 for not-for-profit healthcare related organizations and is subject to availability of funds. Applications can be received no earlier than fifteen days prior to program starting date (July 1). Notification of approval must be received prior to start of any training. Grant applications are subject to a proposal evaluation and approval by the Incumbent Worker Training (IWT) Grant Review Committee.

PROGRAM GUIDELINES AND REQUIREMENTS

Application for the 2008/2009 Tennessee Incumbent Worker Training Program are open to all Tennessee companies meeting the listed guidelines.
Notification of approval and fully executed contract in place with the local area prior to start of any training.
Must be a "for-profit" business and have been in operation in Tennessee for a minimum of one year prior to application date to be eligible for grant funding.
“Not-for-profit organizations that are healthcare related will be eligible for grant funding with a $25,000 cap.
Must have at least five full-time employees.
Must demonstrate financial viability and must be current on all state tax obligations when applicable.
Can only receive an award every other program year, July – June unless an application receives funding of $25,000 or less then they can request funding the following program year. Upon receiving 2 consecutive grants the company would have to skip a year before being eligible again.
Third party contacts are prohibited.
Applications must be submitted, with a letter of support, by your Local Workforce Investment Area LWIA contact.
Limited to four training elements.
Must score at least 100 on the application review.
Should be for the purpose of improving employee earning potential through the upgrade of skills and to assist in keeping businesses competitive to promote growth and avoid layoff.

TRAINING SERVICES All training must be completed by the last day of the specific program period. However programs beginning in July through November should have a contract end date of March 31 or earlier. Programs beginning in July through November and need to have end dates to exceed March 31 must submit a written request with their applications for approval. Training contracted after November 30 must be complete by June 30 or earlier. All training contracts should have specific start and end dates.

Can be provided through Tennessee's public or private educational institutions, private training organizations, trainers employed by the business, or a combination of training providers.
Can be conducted at the business's own facility, at the training provider's facility, or at a combination of sites.
For assistance with training provider see link below.
www.ja.state.tn.us/thec/cbjt/PgSrchEng.jsp

REIMBURSEABLE TRAINING EXPENSES:

Instructors'/Trainers' salaries - capped at actual amount or $50/hour, whichever is less
Curriculum Development, not to exceed 5% of total State obligation (Defined as the time necessary for company officials to determine training needs)
Textbooks/manuals
Materials/Supplies
Tuition Expense (Tuition defined as being provided by an institution regulated by the Tennessee Higher Education Commission)

NON-REIMBURSEABLE COSTS:

Trainees' wages
Purchases of capital equipment
Purchase of any item or service that may possibly be used outside of the training project
Travel expenses of trainers or trainees
On-the-job training costs\
Assessment, testing, or certification fees
Basic computer skills unless in conjunction with advanced level
English as a second language
TOSHA provided safety training; visit www.tn.gov/labor-wfd/
Adult basic education
Other services provided by the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development; visit www.tn.gov/labor-wfd/

GRANT AWARDS:

Businesses approved for funds enter into a contract with their local workforce investment area (LWIA contact) which commits the business to complete the training project as proposed in their application.
Approved budget items are reimbursed upon presentation of adequate documentation of the training and evidence that the training expense incurred has been paid.
Businesses will provide a matching contribution to the training project equal to at least the requested grant amount.
Businesses will keep accurate records of the project's implementation process and certify that all information provided for the purpose of requesting reimbursements and reporting training activity is accurate and true.
Businesses submit monthly or quarterly reimbursement requests with required support documentation, to their local workforce investment area representative. (LWIA contact)
Any other contract provisions established by the LWIA.

PROJECT COMPLETION:

All Grant projects shall be performance based with specific measurable performance outcomes - including: the completion of the training project, number of employees trained, beginning and ending wages of trainees, Date of Birth, and customer satisfaction.
Final payment for businesses receiving IWT grants will be withheld until the final report is submitted and all performance criteria specified in the grant have been achieved.
Businesses shall provide sufficient documentation to the local workforce investment area for identification of all employee participants for calculation of performance measures required by WIA, and any other outcomes deemed pertinent to the grant administrator.
As a requirement of WIA, a follow-up survey will be conducted by the University of Memphis, of all trainees. This survey is to determine customer satisfaction.
When an IWT grant award is made it is for the completion of specific training components. If the company does not complete those training components by the end of the contract period, their final reimbursement will be pro-rated to bring their total reimbursement for the project inline with the actual training components completed.

Application Instructions:

Contact your Local Workforce Investment Area for assistance with completion of and submitting of application. DETACH and complete the attached IWT Program Application. Any information or documentation that cannot be supplied in the provided space should be identified by the relevant question number and attached to the back of the application form. Submit one original and one copy of the application by mail to your local workforce investment area (LWIA contact).

IT IS RECOMMENDED THAT YOU SUBMIT YOUR APPLICATION AT LEAST 30 DAYS PRIOR TO THE START OF YOUR TRAINING. PRESS RELEASES MUST BE SENT TO THE APPROPRIATE PARTNERS BEFORE GRANTS ARE AWARDED.

NOTIFICATION OF APPROVAL MUST BE RECEIVED PRIOR TO START OF ANY TRAINING.

If you have any questions or need assistance in completing the application, please contact your local workforce area or:

Patrick Bleecker
Grants Program Manager
Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development
(615) 253-1330
patrick.bleecker@tn.gov

		Workforce Development Division

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	Employment & Training Incumbent Worker Training Program 2008/2009 Guidelines The Incumbent Worker Training Program is funded by the Federal Workforce Investment Act (WIA) and administered by the Workforce Development division within the Tennessee Department of Labor & Workforce Development, the Local Workforce Investment Area (LWIA contact), and the local career center. The purpose of the program is to provide grants to employers to assist with certain expenses associated with skills upgrade training for full-time employees of the company. High Skill/High demand training is encouraged. Soft skill training that does not directly enhance skills upgrade is discouraged. The maximum grant amount is $50,000 to for-profit companies and $25,000 for not-for-profit healthcare related organizations and is subject to availability of funds. Applications can be received no earlier than fifteen days prior to program starting date (July 1). Notification of approval must be received prior to start of any training. Grant applications are subject to a proposal evaluation and approval by the Incumbent Worker Training (IWT) Grant Review Committee. PROGRAM GUIDELINES AND REQUIREMENTS Application for the 2008/2009 Tennessee Incumbent Worker Training Program are open to all Tennessee companies meeting the listed guidelines. Notification of approval and fully executed contract in place with the local area prior to start of any training. Must be a "for-profit" business and have been in operation in Tennessee for a minimum of one year prior to application date to be eligible for grant funding. “Not-for-profit organizations that are healthcare related will be eligible for grant funding with a $25,000 cap. Must have at least five full-time employees. Must demonstrate financial viability and must be current on all state tax obligations when applicable. Can only receive an award every other program year, July – June unless an application receives funding of $25,000 or less then they can request funding the following program year. Upon receiving 2 consecutive grants the company would have to skip a year before being eligible again. Third party contacts are prohibited. Applications must be submitted, with a letter of support, by your Local Workforce Investment Area LWIA contact. Limited to four training elements. Must score at least 100 on the application review. Should be for the purpose of improving employee earning potential through the upgrade of skills and to assist in keeping businesses competitive to promote growth and avoid layoff. TRAINING SERVICES All training must be completed by the last day of the specific program period. However programs beginning in July through November should have a contract end date of March 31 or earlier. Programs beginning in July through November and need to have end dates to exceed March 31 must submit a written request with their applications for approval. Training contracted after November 30 must be complete by June 30 or earlier. All training contracts should have specific start and end dates. Can be provided through Tennessee's public or private educational institutions, private training organizations, trainers employed by the business, or a combination of training providers. Can be conducted at the business's own facility, at the training provider's facility, or at a combination of sites. For assistance with training provider see link below. www.ja.state.tn.us/thec/cbjt/PgSrchEng.jsp REIMBURSEABLE TRAINING EXPENSES: Instructors'/Trainers' salaries - capped at actual amount or $50/hour, whichever is less Curriculum Development, not to exceed 5% of total State obligation (Defined as the time necessary for company officials to determine training needs) Textbooks/manuals Materials/Supplies Tuition Expense (Tuition defined as being provided by an institution regulated by the Tennessee Higher Education Commission) NON-REIMBURSEABLE COSTS: Trainees' wages Purchases of capital equipment Purchase of any item or service that may possibly be used outside of the training project Travel expenses of trainers or trainees On-the-job training costs\ Assessment, testing, or certification fees Basic computer skills unless in conjunction with advanced level English as a second language TOSHA provided safety training; visit www.tn.gov/labor-wfd/ Adult basic education Other services provided by the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development; visit www.tn.gov/labor-wfd/ GRANT AWARDS: Businesses approved for funds enter into a contract with their local workforce investment area (LWIA contact) which commits the business to complete the training project as proposed in their application. Approved budget items are reimbursed upon presentation of adequate documentation of the training and evidence that the training expense incurred has been paid. Businesses will provide a matching contribution to the training project equal to at least the requested grant amount. Businesses will keep accurate records of the project's implementation process and certify that all information provided for the purpose of requesting reimbursements and reporting training activity is accurate and true. Businesses submit monthly or quarterly reimbursement requests with required support documentation, to their local workforce investment area representative. (LWIA contact) Any other contract provisions established by the LWIA. PROJECT COMPLETION: All Grant projects shall be performance based with specific measurable performance outcomes - including: the completion of the training project, number of employees trained, beginning and ending wages of trainees, Date of Birth, and customer satisfaction. Final payment for businesses receiving IWT grants will be withheld until the final report is submitted and all performance criteria specified in the grant have been achieved. Businesses shall provide sufficient documentation to the local workforce investment area for identification of all employee participants for calculation of performance measures required by WIA, and any other outcomes deemed pertinent to the grant administrator. As a requirement of WIA, a follow-up survey will be conducted by the University of Memphis, of all trainees. This survey is to determine customer satisfaction. When an IWT grant award is made it is for the completion of specific training components. If the company does not complete those training components by the end of the contract period, their final reimbursement will be pro-rated to bring their total reimbursement for the project inline with the actual training components completed. Application Instructions: Contact your Local Workforce Investment Area for assistance with completion of and submitting of application. DETACH and complete the attached IWT Program Application. Any information or documentation that cannot be supplied in the provided space should be identified by the relevant question number and attached to the back of the application form. Submit one original and one copy of the application by mail to your local workforce investment area (LWIA contact). IT IS RECOMMENDED THAT YOU SUBMIT YOUR APPLICATION AT LEAST 30 DAYS PRIOR TO THE START OF YOUR TRAINING. PRESS RELEASES MUST BE SENT TO THE APPROPRIATE PARTNERS BEFORE GRANTS ARE AWARDED. NOTIFICATION OF APPROVAL MUST BE RECEIVED PRIOR TO START OF ANY TRAINING. If you have any questions or need assistance in completing the application, please contact your local workforce area or: Patrick Bleecker Grants Program Manager Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development (615) 253-1330 patrick.bleecker@tn.gov