Menu
Are you unemployed or under-employed? Have you been laid off or received a notice of lay-off? If so, you might qualify for a government grant that can really help you get trained, certified and placed in your new career. There is no cost to you. Let’s see if you are eligible!
With the amount of computer networks doubling every 5 years, the job demand for IT workers continues to soar for this high paid career. If you qualify you can use the grant to get the certifications the employers we work with are looking 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 better than average. Cyberseek.org’s supply and demand heat map shows over 5500,000 job openings across the United States. Some markets are even better than others. The Tampa/Clearwater/St. Petersburg job market pays well, because it has over 7,000 job opening and the number of qualified workers is very low. The cyber-crime epidemic is expected to triple the number of job openings over the next 5 years. Employers badly need workers 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 most high demand job opportunities is in project management. In the Tampa/St. Petersburg job market the demand is especially high for project managers and pays quite well. The Project Management Professional (PMP) is the most sought after credential 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 assistance to managers and employees, helping in daily business needs and managing the company’s general administrative requirements. The more skilled administrative assistants can make a surprisingly good salary if they have the necessary abilities. Certifications like Microsoft Office Specialist (MOS) can really help to move up in this career.
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 people get trained, certified and placed in big demand fields such as information technology, cyber-security, business analysis, project management and more. The idea is that there are fields in which there are not enough qualified people and there are declining fields in which there are too many people. The Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) addresses this issue by providing free funding for career training in big demand fields to those who are eligible for this grant. This training is designed to make your skills marketable so you can get a job and return to the workforce. This is a grant, not a loan. If you are eligible, everything is covered, 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 a program 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 plans to choose from.
The three most typical classes 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 notice of layoff or are a military spouse you could be eligible as a Dislocated worker. If you are on Food Stamps or government assistance, or have low income based on what you have earned the last six months and number of people in your family, then you could be eligible under Adult Low Income. For youths age 18-24, you might be eligible if you are not going to school. You must also be found to be “suitable.” This is not an automatic approval. The process is perplexing so it is best to discuss this with us first to see if you are eligible.
You need to select a plan that can be finished in a short period of time that will raise your marketability enough to help get you placed. We look at the best ways to use your work history to add a certification that will make you attractive to employers and easier to get hired. 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 are eligible. No reimbursement or any personal 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 very bureaucratic government agency. The process is as clear as mud. A number of schools are averse to work with WIOA if they can avoid it. I strongly recommend you consult with an expert.
Yes! The whole purpose of this grant is to help you get back in the workforce. We have partnered with a staffing firm that has devoted a person to work at our facility exclusively with our clients. She helps with your resume, cover letter, LinkedIn profile, interview techniques and most importantly, getting your information in front of hiring managers. We work with over three thousand 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.