The On-The-Job Training (OJT) Program is funded by the Federal Workforce Investment Act (WIA) and administered by work2future. The purpose of the program is to provide reimbursements to employers to compensate for the employer's extraordinary costs associated with skills upgrade training for full-time employees of the company.

A business approved for funds enters into a contract with work2future, which commits the business to completion of the OJT project as proposed in their application.

Program Guidelines

Applications for the 2005-2006 work2future On-The-Job Training Program are open to companies, agencies, and organizations meeting the guidelines listed below.

All applications are subject to a pre-award review by a panel of work2future staff.

Business Applying for Funding:

• Must not use WIA funding for any activity that would otherwise be available in the absence of such funds. (per section 195.2, Workforce Investment Act of 1998)

• May be reimbursed for up to 50% of base wages for providing WIA-enrolled trainees with an OJT program

• Must agree to certify the skills and abilities obtained by trainees who successfully complete the OJT program with a nationally recognized degree or certificate, a State recognized credential, or an work2future Board-approved locally defined credential.

• Must be a business in qualified, targeted industries providing demand occupations

• Must demonstrate financial viability and must be current on all state tax obligations

• Must have the personnel to provide adequate supervision and training

• Must hire trainees prior to training, as regular full-time employees provided with same benefits as regular employees not in On-the-Job training

• Must, on satisfactory completion of training, retain trainees in the occupations for which they have been trained, without additional subsidy or financial assistance from work2future.

• May not displace currently employed workers or impose on their promotional opportunities

Priority Will Be Given To:

• Businesses in City of San Jose Enterprise Zone
• Businesses in qualified targeted industries
• Businesses whose proposals represent a significant upgrade in employee skills
• Businesses whose proposals represent a significant layoff avoidance strategy
• Businesses who commit to providing trainees with wage gains, promotions, and/or career paths to self-sufficiency, following successful completion of training.

On-The-Job Training Services:

• Shall be provided for full-time employees. Training shall be provided for a minimum of 30 hours per week

Reimbursable On-The-Job Training Expenses:

• Up to 50% of a trainee's hourly base wage four hours spent in On-the-Job Training for a period not to exceed six months per trainee, and not to exceed $6,000.00 per trainee.

Non-reimbursable Costs for OJT:

• Wage reimbursements will not be based upon overtime, shift differential, premium pay and other non-regular wages, nor will the payments be based on such periods of time as illness, holidays, plant downtime, or other events in which no training occurs
• Instructor/trainer wages
• Textbooks/Manuals
• Tuition
• Registration

Reimbursements:

• Any business approved for reimbursement through the Work 2 Future OJT Program that is a recipient or sub-recipient of Federal funding of $300,000 or more in a fiscal year, will be required to furnish an independent financial and compliance audit. The company is responsible for the cost of the audit, and OJT funds cannot be used to cover these costs.

• Reimbursement requests with required support documentation (time cards, evidence that trainee's wages have been paid by employer) may be submitted monthly, to ensure timely reimbursement.

• Business will keep accurate records of the project's implementation process and certify that all information provided for the purpose of requesting reimbursements and reporting training activity is accurate and true.

• For performance tracking purposes, businesses are required to submit specific information for employees participating in training activities that includes, but is not limited to: trainee's names, last four digits of trainee social security numbers, dates of birth, race/ethnicities, and wages.

• Final payment for businesses receiving OJT reimbursements will be withheld until the final report is submitted and all performance criteria specified in the contract have been achieved; including, but not limited to, trainees receiving credentials.

Project Completion:

• Employer must assure work2future that, at the end of the OJT training period, any new-hire participants will have skills leading to increased wages and or responsibilities.

• Because of the high demand and limited funding available, all applications will be evaluated to leverage other State, Federal, and private funds with OJT funds

• All training projects shall be performance-based with specific measurable performance outcomes, including but not limited to the completion of the training project and number of employees trained.

• Businesses shall provide sufficient documentation to work2future for identification of all OJT participants for calculation of performance measures required by WIA, and any other outcomes deemed pertinent by work2future.

Application Instructions

Complete and submit the OJT Program Application. Any information or documentation that cannot be supplied in the provided space should be identified by the relevant question number and attached to the back of the application form. Submit one original and three (3) copies of the signed completed application to:

work2future On-The-Job Training Program

Attention: Chris Donnelly
1290 Parkmoor Avenue
San Jose, CA 95126