Skills Development Fund Pre-Employment Training for New Jobs

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Overview
Eligibility Criteria
How to Apply
See Also
Service
Related Topics

Overview

The Skills Development Fund (SDF) Pre-Employment Training for New Jobs pilot project provides grants to community and technical colleges to deliver customized job training programs to businesses that want to train potential new workers prior to hiring them. Grantees will help TWC identify approaches and models that could be used to successfully train, place, and retain workers in new jobs. The pilot project is designed to determine the necessary conditions for developing successful customized training projects where trainees are not yet employed by business partners.

Employers interested in participating should partner with their local community or technical college for proposal submission. Grant proposals from community and technical colleges should demonstrate:

Strong participation of businesses that identify the skills they need to expand their workforce
Collaboration with local workforce and economic development entities
A commitment to help Texans increase their skill levels and wages

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Eligibility Criteria

All SDF Pre-Employment Training for New Jobs projects must meet the following eligibility criteria:

Applicants must be a public community or technical college or the Texas Engineering Extension Service.
The applicant must partner with a business(es) that has new jobs available and agrees to hire trainees within 30 days after the completion of training.
The training must be customized to meet the workforce skills training needs identified by the business(es).
It is preferred that the applicant provide at least 25 percent of the requested training.
Training costs must be primarily for technical courses (portable industry accepted certifications are a plus), as required in regular SDF projects. Non-technical training is limited to 10 percent of training costs.
Administrative costs for the applicant (which are allowable up to 10 percent of the program training costs) will be determined based on the amount of training being provided. If the applicant is not providing any training, administrative costs will be negotiated, up to 10 percent.
Training costs must be comparable to regular SDF projects (e.g. an average cost per trainee of approximately $1,420.)
Applicants must enter into a local training contract with the Business Partner(s), Training Provider and any third party Training Provider outlining each entity’s roles and responsibilities, prior to contract execution. In consideration of the reimbursement structure and to delineate accountability of all partners, it is recommended that the applicant include the following provisions:
- Businesses shall approve the individuals who participate in the training program. The approved individuals must meet the businesses’ employment requirements and policies. If the business requires pre-employment drug testing, the business should include this as an employment criteria prior to approving the individual.
- Businesses must agree that at least 85% of trainees will be hired within 30 days after the completion of training and will be retained for at least 90 days after being hired. TWC will not reimburse for the costs associated with training individuals below the 85 percent threshold.
- Businesses must agree to pay training costs for trainees who do not complete the training program or who complete the training and do not gain employment in excess of the 15% allowable attrition rate.
- Businesses must agree to the statutory requirement to pay successfully placed trainees at least the prevailing wage in the local area for the specific occupation.
- Businesses must agree to the provision and documentation of participant data as required or as may otherwise be requested by TWC.

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How to Apply

Employers interested in participating should partner with their local community or technical college for proposal submission. Community and technical colleges submitting a proposal for an SDF Pre-Employment Training for New Jobs grant should follow these guidelines:

Proposals for SDF Pre-Employment Training for New Jobs grants must include the following components:

Proposal Submission Form - SDF Pre-Employment Training for New Jobs or
Private Partner Information Form - SDF Pre-Employment Training for New Jobs or
Curricula and Budget Management Form -SDF Pre-Employment Training for New Jobs
Workforce Development Board Review & Comments Form - SDF Pre-Employment Training for New Jobs or
A signed agreement between the applicant and private partner(s)