Government funding is often available to help small companies train employees and develop work skills. While some funds come as grants, much of it gets allocated to states or local work-force boards which decide what industries and areas to support. The trick is to identify programs aimed at your region or industry.
Start at the federal level. Representatives at the U.S. Department of Labor’s Business Relations Group will work with you to identify programs you could use. Tell them what industry you’re in and what you’re hoping to accomplish with worker training. They know about programs in the works and can put you on lists to be notified about future opportunities.
State economic-development agencies also offer training assistance, grants and tax credits. Such agencies don’t always have similar names, so when searching online for those in your state, try a variety of keyphrases.
Contact your local community college and public university. Government agencies often dole out money to colleges and universities, which, in turn, run training programs. They help you with your grant application, if one is needed, so don’t let a lack of experience in grant-writing stop you.
Across the U.S., work-force boards, run by local appointees and volunteers, help coordinate federal, state and local employment programs.
In addition, One-Stop Career Centers — offices designed as one-stop shops for both employers and workers to get information about the job market and economic development — can help put employers and workers together. There are more than 3,200 centers where you can research training programs and access databases of workers.