North Carolina has awarded more than $717,000 to employers to help them invest in building the skills of their workers.
The Incumbent Workforce Development Program awards grants to businesses each year to reimburse them for the cost of training programs for their employees. Each business applies for a grant through its local workforce development board, which reviews the applications and submits them for evaluation to the N.C. Division of Workforce Solutions.
After the latest round of applications in April, the state awarded $717,530 to employers, helping 69 businesses and 1,655 workers. During the last round of funding in October, 32 employers received $440,000 to help train more than 700 employees.
“We’re thrilled to see a growing number of businesses using this program to strengthen the skills of their workforce,” said Commerce Secretary Sharon Decker. “These grants are a sound investment in today’s workforce and tomorrow’s economy.”
Including the latest grants, the state has awarded nearly $10.70 million to 596 businesses since 2007, helping them improve the skills of more than 20,400 employees.
Funding for the Incumbent Workforce Development Program is provided by the U.S. Department of Labor. Each employer can receive up to $40,000 of grant funding; employers can apply for funding until they reach that limit.
North Carolina has 23 workforce development boards that plan and oversee local workforce services and work closely on economic development activities in conjunction with local partners.
NCWorks
In April, Governor Pat McCrory announced NCWorks, a new partnership between the N.C. Department of Commerce, the N.C. Community College System, and the N.C. Department of Public Instruction to improve the state’s workforce system. Through the NCWorks initiative, partners will create a stronger alignment of services and resources to meet the workforce needs of businesses, connect North Carolinians to technical training and quality careers, and use data to monitor and assess program outcomes. For more information about NCWorks, visit www.nccommerce.com/ncworks.
The N.C. Division of Workforce Solutions is a part of the N.C. Department of Commerce. For more information about the division, visit www.nccommerce.com/workforce.