Some job training programs whose funding was set to expire in June now will continue through year’s end.
The Northern Indiana Workforce Board and the South Bend – Elkhart Regional Partnership said the Indiana Department of Workforce Development and the Commission for Higher Education will administer $37 million in Rapid Recovery for a Better Future initiative funding to expand the Workforce Ready Grant and Employer Training Grant programs, which operate as part of Indiana's Next Level Jobs program.
The state received funding to continue the training programs through the CARES Act.
The Northern Indiana Workforce Board was awarded $3.15 million to advance regional workforce retraining within high-growth, high-wage occupations via the training fund programs for the greater South Bend and Elkhart areas.
The Center of Workforce Innovations in Valparaiso’s SkillUp program, which is operated in collaboration with the A.K. Smith Career Center in Michigan City, also received a funding extension. A grant for the program, which has provided opportunities for students and adults to improve manufacturing skills the past three years, was set to expire in June but now also will continue through the end of the year.
Employers may apply for up to $100,000, capped at up to $10,000 per employee, via the Employer Training Grant, which is an increase from the previous cap of $50,000 per employer. Individual learners may apply for up to $10,000 in scholarship resources available via the Workforce Training Grant, which is also an increase from a previous cap of $5,500. Eligible training programs include Advanced Manufacturing, Building & Construction, Health & Life Sciences, IT & Business Services, and Transportation & Logistics.
