How to Get a Workforce Investment Grant in Ohio
Ohio uses its Workforce Investment Act funds to retrain workers and further develop local Ohio economies. There is no direct path to a WIA grant and dislocated, unemployed workers or adults who want to make a career change can enter the WIA grant process via a number of other programs, including the Trade Adjustment Assistance program or a Re-employment Service Workshop. However, there are steps an unemployed or inadequately trained worker needs to take to get the WIA grant process started and be awarded a training grant.
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Instructions
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Visit a local One Stop Career Center and request information. Ohio locations can be found on the state of Ohio Department of Job and Family Services, Office of Workforce Development, website or by calling the Office of Workforce Development directly. Many Ohio One Stop Career Centers have websites. One Stop offices are usually open Monday through Friday during regular business hours.
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Attend an orientation session. Orientation helps the applicant understand all the services and programs available to him for a job search and career assessment through the One Stop Career Center. You will identify during orientation the programs that can assist you. Not every person attending an orientation will need a training grant.
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Make an appointment to see an employment service representative for career counseling and guidance. Appointments may not occur the same day they are made. Be prepared to return on another day to meet your representative. Service representatives manage the grant award process and know what steps each candidate must take before being approved. Applicants are typically assigned a service representative to manage their case file throughout the grant process.
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Provide all personal information the representative requests. Your representative will help you build your Individual Training Account by requesting certain documents. The ITA is the tool used to manage the grant process. Documents are requested to establish citizenship, residency, economic eligibility and termination or unemployment. Items your representative may ask for include your Social Security card, a utility bill or statement from your landlord to establish state residency, passport or birth certificate and pay stubs.
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Identify a skill set. Your representative will ask for a resume and your assistance in building a skill set or profile of your abilities. A list of machinery, software or processes you are trained to use is helpful when creating this skill set. You may be asked to test for math, reading and comprehension during this assessment period. Applicants who attend the orientation session may have identified a skill set through another program offered through One Stop. In this case, the information will get transferred to your ITA.
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Create a career plan. Also known as an employment plan, the career plan identifies the applicant's career goals. During the career planning process, Ohio labor market information is assessed to identify an industry and in-demand job that the applicant is interested in. Any training the applicant needs in order to be qualified for the job is then noted and a program is located.
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Choose a training provider and receive a voucher to pay for the training. Service representatives have a list of training providers and applicants choose a provider convenient for them. Some One Stop locations may provide a list of training providers on their website. Vouchers are used to pay the training provider for the tuition when the student signs up for the classes. Grant money is never handled as cash and vouchers have no monetary value except as payment for a specific training course.
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References
- The Job Center: Montgomery County Department of Job and Family Services; WIA Eligibility Documentation Checklist
- The Job Center: Montgomery County Department of Job and Family Services; Funding for Training; WIA
- GAPP, Inc.: WIA Success Stories
- Dave Fish; Ashtabula County One Stop Manager; Ashtabula, Ohio
