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Get Your Piece of the
Government Pie
By
Nick Milevsky,
IT
Director
These are tough economic times we live in;
this has been said so often that it has become a cliché. We see
stimulus packages and jobs bills flying over our heads with billions
of dollars in tote, but not even change seems to fall in our hands.
So what’s going on? Where’s all the money for small businesses, the
so- called driving force behind our economy? Believe it or not, there
is money out there (as long as you know where to look).
Programs
to aid the small retailer have been in place long before the economy took
its most recent nose dive. In 1998, congress passed the Workforce
Investment Act (WIA) whose purpose was to invest money in businesses
through statewide and local workforce improvement processes. State
governments would provide money to businesses looking to improve themselves
by maintaining and growing their workforce. It specifically states its
goal to “improve the quality of the workforce, reduce welfare dependency,
and enhance the productivity and competitiveness of the Nation.” This
sounds pretty good, but how does it translate down to you?
This means that the state ultimately decides how it uses this money. The
retailer must petition the state in which it resides for the desired funding.
However, funds are not equally available in every state. Some states have
no funding for these projects. In most states, you will find these funds
designated as “Incumbent Worker Training Grants.” Some may have a similar
program but with a different name like the “Skills Enhancement Fund” in
Indiana. I know of about 38 states that have a program like this. Others
may have different programs that could help out in similar ways.
The purpose
of this program is to provide you, as a small business owner, with funds
for training your employees. They want your workforce to be more skilled,
more efficient, and more viable to your business. This improved workforce
operates more efficiently and produces more revenue and profit, thus
leading to overall growth and improvement in tax revenue for the state.
The state has taken an interest in investing in your business because they
believe this investment will pay off. The parameters and stipulations vary
from state to state, so you will have to check with them before you know
if you qualify.
JRM Sales & Management has given training in both sales and sales
management using this exact program, and the government is the one
who paid for it. So, it is possible! Contact your local state
government and see how they can lend your business a hand. You can
also look up the “Incumbent Worker Training Grant” and your state
on the internet for more information. Also, feel free to give us a
call here at 678-574-0937; we would love to help you out and point
you in the right direction. Sometimes, the best things in life are
free!
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