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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 cost to you. Let’s see if you qualify!
With the amount 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, Oracle, VMware and more
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment of Security Analysts is projected to grow by 37 percent between 2012 and 2022, which is much better than average. Cyberseek.org’s supply and demand heat map shows over 700,000 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 10,000 job opening and the amount of qualified workers is very low. The cyber-crime epidemic is expected to triple the number of open positions over the next five years. Employers badly need employees who are certified in Security+, CISSP, Certified Security Analyst (CySA), Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH) and Cisco CCNA Security
If you have prior management experience, one of the strongest 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, PMI-Agile, and Scrum Master
Responsible administrative assistants perform several administrative jobs and clerical tasks. Duties include providing support to managers and employees, assisting in daily business needs and being responsible for the company’s general administrative duties. The more skilled administrative assistants can make a surprisingly good salary if they have the necessary skills. Certifications like Microsoft Office Specialist (MOS) and QuickBooks 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. It provides free training grants to help people get trained, certified and placed in big demand careers such as information technology, cyber-security, business intelligence, project management and more. The idea is that there are careers in which there are not enough qualified people and there are declining careers in which there are too many people. The Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) addresses this issue by providing free funding for job training in big demand fields to those who are eligible for this grant. This training is intended to make your skills marketable so you can get hired and return to the workforce. This is a grant, not a loan. If you qualify, 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 pick a program where there is a high expectation of gainingemployment. 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 approved occupation, there will be approved training plans to choose from.
The three most typical 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 could get approved 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 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 convoluted so it is best to discuss this with us first to see if you qualify.
You want a program that can be finished in a short period of time that will raise your marketability enough to help get you a job. 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 get hired. Some occupations are ideal for this: cyber-security, information technology, project management, business analyst, human resources, executive secretaries and administrative assistants etc.
There is no cost to you if you are eligible. Nothing to pay 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 remarkably bureaucratic government agency. The process is as clear as mud. A lot of schools are reluctant to work with WIOA if they can avoid doing so. I strongly advise you consult with an expert.
Yes! The whole intent of this program is to help you get back in the workforce. We have teamed up 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 skills and most importantly, getting your resume in front of hiring managers. We work with over three thousand employers in Central Florida who use us for their training needs. A lot of them recruit from us so we get many job leads that are not available to the general public. Over half the jobs we have helped place people in are not even advertised.
Career Coach
I have over 20+ experience in higher education. I was also laid off from my job several years ago and had difficulty getting employed again because of my age. Luckily, I got hired again, but this time on the corporate side. Then I discovered the WIOA grant and realized what a boon this could be for people who lost their jobs or people with a low income. Most people do not relish working with it becase of all the bureaucratic paperwork. The rules vary from one county to the next and are frequently changing. However, I have always been good at dealing with red tape. My experience working in colleges gives me an in depth knowledge of the many career options and what it takes to get started. I now specialize in assisting veterans, out of work (and under-employed) people who may be eligible for a government grant that will pay for them to get trained, certified and help them get placed in their career and achieve their goals. Let’s see what you qualify for!