WEDnetPA – ESU to Allocate $301,009 in Workforce Training Grants for 2013-2014

Posted by: admin on August 12, 2013, One Comment

East Stroudsburg University’s Office of Workforce Development (OWD) was awarded $301,009 for fiscal year 2013-14 to support workforce training though the Workforce and Economic Development Network of Pennsylvania (WEDnetPA). Funding for WEDnetPA is provided by the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED).

The WEDnetPA Program provides qualified companies with funds for training their employees in basic skills up to $450 per eligible employee and in information technology up to $850 per eligible employee. Companies may qualify for a total of $75,000 for basic skills and $50,000 for IT training. Funding is available primarily to manufacturing, health care, and information technology-based industries including financial, biotech and environmental-tech companies.

“This year’s allocation represents a 29% increase over last year’s funding,” said Sharone Glasco, director of the ESU Office of Workforce Development. “Qualified companies interested in applying for these funds must submit their applications by Friday, August 30, 2013 to be considered for this year’s allocation.”

The Office of Workforce Development will host an information session for companies interested in applying for funding on Thursday, August 22, 2013 from 2 – 3:30 p.m. in the ESU Innovation Center, 562 Independence Road, East Stroudsburg, Pa.

WednetPA Eligibility Requirements:

Employers must be based in Pennsylvania or have a significant presence in the state.
Employees must earn at least 150% of current federal minimum wage, excluding benefits.
The jobs must be permanent full-time positions eligible for full-time benefits.
Participation is limited to two years in a row and three out of the past five years
Point-of-sale retail businesses, gaming establishments, training vendors, employment agencies, government agencies, government-owned facilities, education and nonprofit entities are ineligible.

WEDnetPA’s mission is to build and strengthen employee productivity in Pennsylvania’s workforce by supporting training that will put employees on a path to higher performance. Companies identify their own training needs, which may include skills that are general to the workplace or specific to their industry. Companies also choose their own training providers: on-line courseware or traditional classroom instruction, conducted by either in-house staff or third-party trainers.

During the 2012-13 fiscal year, WEDnetPA celebrated a significant milestone in the program’s history as it trained its 1,000,000^th worker.

ESU is a certified WEDnetPA partner authorized to apply for funding on a company’s behalf. To find out if your company is eligible visit www.wednetpa.com. For additional information and to register, contact Sharone Glasco, director of Workforce Development/ESU WEDnetPA, at 570-422-7952 or sglasco@esu.edu.