Are you unemployed or low-income? Have you been laid off or been notified there will be a lay-off? If so, you might be eligible for a grant that can really help you get trained, certified and placed in your new job. There is no cost to you. Let’s see if you qualify!
With the number of computer networks doubling every five years, the job demand for Information Technology workers continues to shoot up 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 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 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 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 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 executive secretaries perform a variety of administrative jobs and clerical tasks. Duties include providing assistance to managers and employees, helping in daily office needs and being responsible for the company’s general administrative duties. The more qualified executive secretaries can make a surprisingly good income if they have the necessary abilities. 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 no cost training grants to aid workers get trained, certified and placed in high demand careers such as IT, cyber-security, business analysis, project management and more. The idea is that there are careers in which there are not enough qualified workers and there are declining careers in which there are too many people. The Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) tries to fix this problem by providing no cost funding for job training in high demand fields to those who are eligible for this grant. This training is designed 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 qualify, 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 pick something 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 a career that is in high demand. For each authorized career, there will be authorized training plans to choose from.
The 3 most common classes are: Dislocated Worker, Adult Low Income and Youth (18 -25). If you were 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 last 6 month’s earnings 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 enrolled in school. You must also be found to be “suitable.” This is not an automatic approval. The process is convoluted so it is best to consult with us beforehand to see if you qualify.
You want a program that can be finished in a short period of time that will increase your marketability enough to help get you a job. We look at the best ways to take advantage of your experience to add a certification that will make you attractive to hiring managers and easier to place. 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 charge to you if you are eligible. No reimbursement 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 an exceptionally bureaucratic government agency. The process is confusing. A number of schools are reluctant to work with WIOA if they can avoid doing so. I highly recommend you consult with an expert.
Yes! The whole intent of this program is to help you get a job. 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 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 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.