By: Michael Snead
Each year, a State of California agency called the Employment Training Panel or “ETP,” awards up to $100 million dollars to California-based companies to reimburse costs of job skills training. In July, this amount will grow to $110 million. ETP was created in 1982 to help California-based companies, who face out-of-state competition, train their employees in a range of skills and receive reimbursement from the state. For companies who receive ETP training dollars, the opportunity is to deliver effective employer-customized training that increases the skills of their workforce which results in making the company more competitive.
Each company approved for an ETP contract can receive up to $750,000 toward their training program over a two year-period. Training can be administered by company employees or by third-party administrators or trainers. ETP seeks to focus training on job skills related topics and ensure that funded programs not include legally-mandated or very general training topic areas. The program can reimburse training for business and computer skills, such as customer service, leadership, effective communication, sales and marketing, strategic planning, Quickbooks, intermediate and advanced Microsoft Office, CAD, CRMs, ERPs and other software programs. ETP often funds Commercial Skills, focused on engineering, construction, electrical and plumbing skills and Manufacturing skills, including CNC, welding, equipment and proprietary production processes. The company can receive between $15 to $26 per training hour, per trainee, based upon the size and industry of the company.
How do you know if you might qualify for the program? If your company is planning on new training initiatives, such as training on new equipment, a new product, new market, new computer software, new processes, or will be hiring new employees, then your company might be a good candidate for the program. ETP will help you determine if your company is a good fit for the program, including if you meet the out-of-state competition requirement or one of ETP’s alterative programs. They can also help you effectively engage currently funded training providers, which could allow you to enroll directly into an already funded training program.
For more information, contact Michael Snead, President of Sierra Consulting Services, at 916.220.4845 or mike@sierraconsultingsvcs.com.