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 career. There is no out-of-pocket for you. Let’s see if you are eligible!
With the amount of computer networks doubling every 5 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 stronger than average. Cyberseek.org’s supply and demand heat map shows over 5500,000 job openings across the United States. Some markets are hotter 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 small. The cyber-crime epidemic is expected to triple the number of open positions over the next 5 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 best job opportunities is in project management. In the Tampa/St. Petersburg job market the demand 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 administrative assistants perform a variety of administrative jobs and clerical tasks. Duties include providing support to managers and employees, assisting in daily office needs and managing the company’s general administrative requirements. The more qualified 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 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 no cost training grants to help workers get trained, certified and placed in high demand fields such as IT, 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) tries to fix 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 intended to make your resume 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 in some areas.
This is a jobs program so you must choose 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 an occupation that is in high demand. For each approved career, 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 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 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 what you have earned the last six months and number of people in your family, 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 determined to be “suitable.” This is not an automatic approval. The process is arduous so it is best to discuss this with us beforehand to see if you are eligible.
You want a plan that can be completed in a short period of time that will boost your marketability enough to help get you a job. We look at the best ways to use your work history to add a certification that will make you attractive to hiring managers and easier to place. Some career choices are perfect 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. 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 overly complicated. Many schools are averse to work with WIOA if they can avoid it. I highly advise you work with an expert.
Yes! The whole purpose of this program is to help you get back in the workforce. 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 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 needs. 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.