Training Programs & Grants

Workforce Network can assist employers with incumbent worker training through its diverse grant opportunities.  Below are brief explanations of each program and downloadable forms and PDF's.

Incumbent Worker
Incumbent Worker Training grants provide funds to Illinois employers to train their existing staff in order to remain competitive in the global economy. Incumbent Worker Training grant assistance is limited to employers in the targeted industry sectors including Healthcare, Advanced Manufacturing, Engineering, Transportation, Warehousing and Logistics, and Hospitality.

A wide range of training topics and delivery arrangements may be proposed.  Training that is closely linked to specific jobs, as well as, job advancement is encouraged.  Proposed training that is only loosely related, or is unrelated, to specific jobs, while not completely prohibited, is discouraged. 

Matching
Employers participating in the program are required to pay a non-federal share of the costs of providing the incumbent worker training. 

Applications for Incumbent Worker Training must be approved by the State of Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity.

Grand Victoria
Pathway to Successful Careers is a program designed to provide upgrade training for current healthcare and manufacturing workers.  The opportunity includes scholarships for career training  , child care, transportation, counseling and professional mentoring. 

A local coalition of organizations have worked together to develop an innovative workforce development initiative that trains incumbent workers for occupations in an established healthcare or manufacturing career pathway.

This career pathway targets jobs of importance to our local economy and is designed to create educational “stepping stones” for advancement of workers. Employed and underemployed individuals will receive training for jobs offering family-sustaining wages and assistance for supportive services to resolve barriers to employment.

Job Training and Economic Development (JTED)
The Job Training and Economic Development (JTED) Grant Program assists low-wage, low-skilled workers to advance in their careers, and helps unemployed, disadvantaged people learn skills necessary to secure employment. The program provides grants to not-for-profit community-based organizations (CBOs), which work with small local businesses to develop curricula, train eligible workers, and provide ongoing support. CBOs can establish a partnership with a local business to provide training to its low-wage workers, thereby expanding their skills and advancing their career opportunities. In addition, CBOs can work with local economic development organizations and employers to identify local industries experiencing problems recruiting skilled entry-level workers, training economically disadvantaged individuals (including welfare recipients) in the needed skills and placing them in employment with these companies.

PY08 JTED RFP
General Information
The Job Training Economic Development Grant Program (JTED) was created in 1998 with the following program goals:

1. Foster local economic development by linking the needs of the low wage/low skilled employed worker with the work force needs of local industry,

2. Foster local economic development by linking the needs of the disadvantaged individual including welfare recipients. with the work force needs of local industry.

Workforce Development works in partnership with local businesses to provide training to those persons enrolled in the program to meet the skill need of local industry. Workforce Development acts as a connection between local employers in need of a better trained workforce and their low wage/low skill workers. Partnerships between Workforce Development and local employers are established that provide a mechanism for information exchange and training programs.

Workforce Development establish partnerships with economic development organizations to identify local industries having difficulty recruiting skilled entry level workers. The goal of the program is to develop training programs that link the work force needs of local industries with the job training and placements needs of disadvantaged persons in the community. Partnerships are formed with local employers to design and deliver training programs for disadvantaged persons. Successful completers of the training are placed into employment with participating employers.

With these goals established, the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) will award grants to eligible employers under one of two categories:

Category 1 - Industry Linked Training for Low Wage/Low Skilled Workers

Category 2 - Industry Linked Training for Disadvantaged Persons

For more information on these training grants, contact David Vaughn at 309-495-8942 or dvaughn@workforcenetwork.com.