.
 

.


.
.
 
.

 

..

 




Workforce Investment Act
WIA federal grant
WIA federal grant training money
set up to empower the unemployed
and underemployed

Due to the slow economy and the large number of unemployed persons in the United States the federal government has made certain grant money available for training underemployed. Some grant money is available for manufactures training their current workforce too. Competition is fierce for manufacturers, not to mention competition for jobs.

China has subsidized steel costs for injection tooling to make it hard for United States injection molders to compete with their Chinese counter parts. The new grant money will offset some of that competition by keeping U.S. designers and engineers at the top of their game. However, keeping the development of new product development in the United States instead of outsourcing that to China was probably not the goal of this training money. We would point out that design and development is being sent overseas as well. If we don't take charge now, the only advantage to keeping design in the states is that Stateside designers are closer to our cultural buying habits.

With the certification, Design-engine Education product development training is available to learn and upgrade skill sets on computer aided design software such as Alias - Maya - Pro/ENGINEER or Solidworks. You don't have to be unemployed, funding extends to large companies as well who in an effort to stay competitive train their staff on an on-going basis.

"The Employer Training Investment Program is a streamlined, cost-effective program to help Illinois workers keep their skills constant with changing technologies and business processes. Businesses benefit through increased productivity, reduced costs, improved quality and competitiveness." http://www.commerce.state.il.us/bus/employ_ind_training.html . CAD managers can get funding for inner office personnel (designers and engineers to learn hi-end CAD tools) through the 'Employer Training Investment Program' to keep their designers and engineer current and competitive in their industry.

We have been paid on multiple occasions from major manufacturers from these and similar programs; half from the state and the remaining half from the manufacture. Once the process is put into place employers inlcude the funding in their budgets and know their staff will maintain a skill set that in turn maintains their competitive edge.

Below is a list of frequently asked questions.

 - I am an unemployed mechanical engineer, how do I access training money to learn Pro/ENGINEER's Surfacing modules? Make an appointment today with your local area unemployment case worker. The best way to get advanced training is to start early. Educate your case worker on product design and what courses might be available to empower yourself to get a job over the next person. The first step is to make the appointment. Don't come out and ask for training right away. Let him or her know you are doing research and that you found a number of locations that can raise your skill level. Let them know that you would be considered for surfacing jobs at Harley Davidson - Steelcase - SkilBosh Powertools and various product design firms if you had these advanced skills. Knowing ahead of time there is money available, you might ask them if there is any Grant money available for people like yourself. Remember, the case worker's job is to help you gain long term employment. Their job is not to simply allocate money for your embetterment. Training may be a part of the long term plan but it is better when your case worker tells you about training as an option.

- How do I locate a Solidworks - Alias or Pro/ENGINEER training provider in my area? If you know of a training provider who teaches Pro/E or Solidworks or Alias Studio simply call them and ask if they are WIA certified for training. They might be a certified training provider already. Make an appointment and ask if you can sit in on a few hours of class time. If they want your business they may let you sit in on a couple of hours of time. For a list of providers in your state click on your state link below.

- I found a school that has a start date in seven days. How long does it take to get a voucher and confirmed for the class? It takes more than a few days. Don't expect to locate a training facility that has a start date in 5 days and expect to get a voucher to start in that short amount of time. Although they are trained to be progressive, a case worker is trained to help you gain employment. Although a case worker can and will approve your training money, Their job is not to allocate funds for training but to assist you in long term stable employment.

- What if my State does not have a certified training center? From the perspective of a person interested in training in a state with no certified school or product design school, this is a big problem. The Grant is federal money so it can be spent in any part of the States. We often get calls often from Iowa where there are no certified training partners. Case workers are reluctant to spend money in other states so you must remain persistent. Remember you have to work with their system.

- I am from IOWA and the school I want to attend is in Chicago. Will my local case worker be able to allocate funds for me to go to Chicago for training? First the school in Chicago would have to be listed with the state of IOWA WIA Grant. If it were not already on their approved list they would have to apply to be added to the Iowa list in the other state. (Usually, the first thing the other state wants to know is if the school in question is already approved in Chicago IL) At that point it pretty much works the same. A displaced worker from a different state can make arrangements to come to Chicago to receive the training. Keep in mind the ITA will only pay for direct training costs so the displaced worker would have to be able to afford to pack up and live in a different state for the duration of the training. Sometimes this is a viable option for people. For example Chicago Case workers in Chicago, we have a similar scenario for pilot training. Most flight schools are in Denver, Florida and other states far from Illinois. WIA and City of Chicago case workers often approve and pay for training using WIA funds for pilots who were laid off to go to other states to learn to fly charter planes, etc.

- If a person learns about training and they are interested should they go to the training center first or to their case worker? They should always try to start with the counselor first because by going to the school first they might go to the case worker with a preconceived notion that training is the only option. However, there will always be displaced workers who's priority is training.

- What if I have exhausted my unemployment checks and I am still unemployed. Do I have to be on unemployment to take advantage of this 'Workforce Investment Act' grant money? No. Underemployed, dislocated and unemployed people are eligible. Just make an appointment with your 'unemployment case worker'. You might have to educate the case worker on product design, industrial design and engineering software or skills cross training. For example an Engineer may want to learn to sketch and draw with markers like industrial designers and industrial designers may want to learn the intricacies of the plastic injection process. What it might take to make yourself more marketable, might be to learn the likes of importing Pro/ENGINEER models into Alias Studio for production or for industrial Designers to learn Pro/ENGINEER's SURFACE tools to prove out models and offer Pro/ENGINEER deliverables.

- Is there a link on the Internet of approved WIA certified schools? Yes, here is the link for schools in Illinois: http://ilworkforce.cgs.niu.edu/StateWideList1v1_4.htm

- What about a Nation wide list? There is no comprehensive nationwide list. Each state is responsible for maintaining it's own list. The web address you identified above is the website to access the IL statewide list. To get a WIA certified training provider in your area simply make an appointment with a local area unemployment case worker or do your favorite Google search. To locate a WIA certified training provider in your area do a goolge search for 'Workforce Investment Act <yourstate>' for the WIA website or call us for more information. Many case workers will not know about product design much less product design training so you will have to be persuasive in educating them.

- What job placement resources will a case worker have other than monsterjobs.com or careerbuilder.com or contract agencies. All of the Chicago centers have placement staff, that is one of their contractual obligations to MOWD. Our providers have relationships with employers, but they are always looking to strengthen those relationships and gain new ones with new employers. They may utilize the employment search engines as a tool to pursue leads but they are also responsible for placing each person that they register.

Federal Funding: is now available to take training with DESIGN-ENGINE|EDUCATION in Chicago: They are now a WIA Certified training provider (Workforce Investment Act) recipitant for Emergency Grant money. Although you do not have to be unemployed to take advantage of this Federal Grant you will have to speak to your local 'Unemployment Case Worker' to sign up..

State Employment and Training Agencies

State Workforce Development Councils