Business Services
ON-THE-JOB TRAINING (OJT): The Southwestern Workforce Development Board (SWDB) understands that training new employees can be costly and time consuming. OJT is a valuable and effective employment service used to offset the cost of training dislocated workers due to the time it takes for them to acquire new skills to perform a different job from their previous occupation. The OJT program is contingent upon available funding through the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act and provides reimbursable financial incentives to hire eligible individuals for full-time, permanent employment. Employers that meet criteria for this program may be reimbursed up to 50% (250+ employees) or up to 75% (250 or less employees) for up to 1,000 hours of training. The amount of training hours is determined through assessments and negotiated depending upon the complexity of the job, as well as the current qualifications of the individual. For more information contact Linda Lamp at linda@regiona.org
TRAIN UP: This is a reimbursable grant for funding up to $10,000 and can be made for training needed due to expansion, new technology, retooling, new services/product lines or organizational structuring. The goal is to provide funding to help eligible businesses effectively train and retain, existing, full-time employees by providing skills upgrades and process improvement. There is a brief questionnaire to qualify and application process with basic criteria for businesses to complete for consideration. Applications submitted for Train Up area reviewed by a Committee and approved by the SWDB. Train Up is contingent upon available funding through the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act. For more information contact Linda Lamp at linda@regiona.org
WORK OPPORTUNITY TAX CREDIT (WOTC): Federal tax credit for employers who hire employees with employment barriers from various target groups. Employers can receive a tax credit of $2,400 —$9,600 for hiring a qualified job applicant. The amount varies, depending on the hire. For more information, contact your local career center, or visit: www.ncworkswotc.com
CAREER CENTER STAFF ASSISTED CANDIDATE RECRUITING, SCREENING & MATCHING. Call your local career center for help posting your job order or for information on how you can take control of your hiring process using Employer Services on NCWorks online: www.ncworks.gov. You can customize the online application process to meet your needs.
INTERVIEW ROOMS: Career Centers provide space for conducting interviews and job fairs.
WORKSHOPS: In partnership with your local Community College, our Career Center offers HRD workshops for job seekers. Contact us for a list of current workshops or to customize a workshop for your specific needs.
SKILLS BASED TESTING : Consider having prospective hires and current employees utilize assessments to validate their skill level. PROVEIT! BY KENEXA© offers over 300 skills based assessments, including: MS Word, Excel, QuickBooks, Typing, and many more, all at no charge to our business customers. For more information on tailoring an assessment to your needs, contact your local career center.
FEDERAL BONDING: Federal Bonding provides individual fidelity bonds to employers for hiring “at risk” job applicants who traditionally have had difficulty finding meaningful employment. Employers receive financial protection of $5,000 for six months after taking on a qualifying worker. For more information, contact your local career center.
VETERANS SERVICES: Career Center staff are available to assist employers to recruit highly qualified veterans. Veteran hiring may qualify you for federal hiring incentives. For more information, contact your local career center.
Local Area Business Services Representative David Garrett preparing folders to a Rapid Response Visit.
RAPID RESPONSE FOR BUSINESS LAYOFFS AND CLOSURES:
Career Center staff assist employers with the process of transitioning dislocated workers who have lost their jobs (or may lose their jobs) as a result of business layoffs and/or closures. Affected workers can obtain information about re-employment, skills training, credentials and other support services. For more information, contact your local career center.
