Are you unemployed or low-income? Have you been laid off or received a notice of lay-off? If so, you might be eligible for a grant that can really help you get trained, certified and placed in your new career. There is no out-of-pocket for you. Let’s see if you are eligible!
With the number of computer networks doubling every five years, the job demand for Information Technology employees continues to heat up for this high paid career. If you qualify you can use the WIOA grant to get the certifications the employers we work with are seekingasking for|: CompTIA, Microsoft, Cisco, Azure and more
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment of information security analysts is projected to grow 32 percent from 2022 to 2032, which is much greater than average. Cyberseek.org’s supply and demand heat map shows over 5500,000 job openings across the United States. Some markets are stronger than others. The Tampa/Clearwater/St. Petersburg job market pays well, because it has over 7,000 job opening and the amount of qualified workers is very small. The cyber-crime epidemic is expected to triple the number of job openings over the next five years. Employers desperately need employees who are certified in Security+, CISSP, Certified Security Analyst (CySA), and/or Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH).
If you have prior management experience, one of the strongest job opportunities is in project management. In the Tampa/St. Petersburg job market the need is especially high for project managers and pays quite well. The Project Management Professional (PMP) is the most sought after certification for this field. Forbes magazine consistently ranks this certification in the top 5 each year. Other certifications in this field include ITIL, Agile Master, and Scrum Master
Responsible administrative assistants perform many administrative jobs and clerical tasks. Duties include providing support to managers and employees, assisting in every day business needs and being responsible for the company’s general administrative requirements. The more skilled administrative assistants can make a surprisingly good salary if they have the necessary requirements. Certifications like Microsoft Office Specialist (MOS) can really help to move up in this profession.
Instead of having us talk about ourselves, why don’t we see what our clients have to say.
It is called the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA). it is a jobs program. WIOA provides free training grants to assist workers get trained, certified and placed in high demand fields such as information technology, cyber-security, business analysis, project management and more. The idea is that there are professions in which there are not enough qualified workers and there are declining fields in which there are too many people. The Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) tries to fix this issue by providing free funding for career training in high demand fields to those who qualify for this grant. This training is intended to make your resume marketable so you can get hired and get back into the workforce. This is a grant, not a loan. If you are eligible, everything is included, even the exam. The amounts vary by county but can be as high as $10,000 depending where you live.
This is a jobs program so you must choose something where there is a high likelihood of employment. Each county has a regionally targeted occupations list (RTOL) to choose from. They want to make sure you select an occupation that is in high demand. For each authorized occupation, there will be authorized training programs to choose from.
The three most common categories are: Dislocated Worker, Adult Low Income and Youth (18 -25). If you have been laid off (or your position was eliminated or you were let go because of a reduction in force) from your last job, terminated, received a layoff notice or are a military spouse you might get approved as a Dislocated worker. If you are on Food Stamps or government assistance, or have low income based on last 6 month’s earnings and family size, then you could get approved under Adult Low Income. For youths age 18-24, you might get approved if you are not currently in school. You must also be found to be “suitable.” This is not an entitlement. The process is complicated so it is best to speak with us first to see if you are eligible.
You need to select a plan that can be completed in a short period of time that will increase your marketability enough to help get you placed. We look at the best ways to leverage your experience to add a certification that will make you attractive to hiring managers and easier to place. Some career choices are ideal for this: cyber-security, information technology, project management, business analyst, human resources, executive secretaries and administrative assistants etc.
There is no charge to you if you qualify. Nothing to pay or any out of pocket expenses. This is a grant, not a loan. Even the exam(s) are paid for. So what is the catch? We will be working with a remarkably bureaucratic government agency. The steps are confusing. A number of schools are reluctant to work with WIOA if they can avoid it. I highly advise you consult with an expert.
Yes! The whole purpose of this grant is to help you get a job. We have partnered with a staffing company that has dedicated a person to work at our location exclusively with our clients. She helps with your resume, cover letter, LinkedIn profile, interview preparation and most importantly, getting your resume in front of hiring managers. We work with over 3,000 employers in Central Florida who use us for their training requirements. A lot of them recruit from us so we get many job leads that are not accessible to the general public. Over half the jobs we have helped place people in are not even advertised.
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