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Are you unemployed or under-employed? 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 job. There is no cost to you. Let’s see if you are eligible!
With the amount of computer networks doubling every five years, the job demand for Information Technology employees continues to soar 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 stronger 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 amount of qualified workers is very small. The cyber-crime epidemic is expected to triple the number of open positions 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 strong 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 several administrative jobs and clerical tasks. Duties include providing help to managers and employees, assisting in daily office needs and being responsible for the company’s general administrative requirements. The more qualified executive secretaries 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. It provides no cost training grants to help workers get trained, certified and placed in high demand fields such as information technology, cyber-security, business intelligence, 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) addresses this issue 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 skills marketable so you can get a job and get back into the workforce. This is a grant, not a loan. If you are eligible, everything is paid for, 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 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 prevalent 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 layoff notice or are a military spouse you might qualify 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 qualify under Adult Low Income. For youths age 18-24, you might qualify if you are not enrolled in school. You must also be determined to be “suitable.” This is not an entitlement. The process is convoluted so it is best to consult with us beforehand to see if you are eligible.
You want a program 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 work history to add a certification that will make you attractive to recruiters 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 cost to you if you are eligible. 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. Many schools are averse to work with WIOA if they can avoid doing so. 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 firm that has dedicated a person to work at our location exclusively with our clients. She helps with your resume, cover letter, LinkedIn profile, interview skills 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. Many 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.