IWT Frequently Asked Questions:



What is the Incumbent Worker Training Program?
The Incumbent Worker Training Program is funded by the Federal Workforce Investment Act (WIA) and administered by Workforce Florida, Inc. Through this program, Florida is able to provide expense reimbursement grants to businesses for the purpose of providing skills upgrade training to currently employed full-time workers. Keeping Florida's workforce competitive in a global economy is critical for both the retention of good employees and the retention of existing businesses.

What kinds of training can be funded by the Incumbent Worker Training Program?
The program does not limit the kinds of training that will be considered for funding. Training may include industry or company specific skills, technical and computer skills, and "soft-skills" such as leadership, teamwork, and management skills. Keep in mind, however, that the high demand and limited funding for IWT grants has resulted in a preference for funding training that represents a significant skills upgrade for employees and/or the greatest potential for impacting the company's competitiveness. To that end, companies are advised to prioritize their training needs when requesting an IWT grant.


Who is eligible?
All for profit Florida businesses that have been in operation for a minimum of one year prior to the application date, have at least one full-time employee, are financially viable and current on all state tax obligations.

 

GRANTS AND REIMBURSEMENTS -
 

What costs can be reimbursed by the Incumbent Worker Training Program?
Reimbursable costs are part of the approved budget in the final IWT grant award and can include those expenses related to specific job training: instructors’/trainers’ salaries, curriculum development, textbooks / manuals, and materials/supplies.


What are some of the costs that will not be reimbursed under the Incumbent Worker Training Program?
Incumbent Worker Training grant funds cannot be used to pay for trainees’ wages during training, travel, training equipment, capital improvements, or costs incurred prior to the approval date of the applicant. These types of expenses associated with the training, however, may be included as part of the "Employer Contribution" to the project in the IWT grant application budget.


How is the business reimbursed?
Requests for reimbursement of approved expenses along with evidence of payment are submitted monthly by the business. In addition, basic information on when the training occurred and who participated in it is submitted monthly. A reimbursement check is then sent to the business as per terms of the grant agreement. All IWT grant award contracts require payments to the company to be expense reimbursement and performance-based.


What does "performance-based" mean?
When an IWT grant award is made it is for a specific negotiated amount of funds for a specific minimum number of employees to be trained. If the company does not train that number of employees by the end of the contract period, their final reimbursement may be pro-rated to bring their total reimbursement for the project inline with the actual number of employees trained.


What is the term of my IWT grant contract?
The IWT Program operates on a July 1 - June 30 fiscal year. Effective November 1, 2005 any application approved on or after November 1, 2005 will have 12 months from the date of your company’s approved application to complete training. That means if your company receives an IWT grant award on July 1st of 2006, the training must be completed by June 30, 2007. Companies have 60 days after the completion of their training to submit all final reimbursement requests and reports.

 

BUSINESS CONSIDERATIONS -
 

What is required of the business?
The business must identify in the IWT application, its contribution ("company match") to the training program. For fiscal year 2006-2007, businesses will be required to provide a minimum of 50% of the requested direct training cost; i.e., instructors' wages/tuition, curriculum development and materials and supplies. Other cash and in-kind contributions from the company that contribute to the training program should also be disclosed. An in-kind contribution is a non-cash contribution of goods or services provided by the business. Examples include: wages paid to trainees during the training period, equipment purchased to be used in the training project, materials and supplies, curriculum development, facility usage and travel.

Once a grant award is received the business must maintain adequate financial records of the training expenses and reimbursements associated with the IWT grant.

What kind of reporting is required once a grant is received?
During active training, monthly reports (via simple forms provided electronically to the company) are submitted by the business to Workforce Florida. The Trainee Information Form includes trainees' names, dates of birth, gender, race, social security numbers, job titles, trainee wages and dates of training. The Cumulative Monthly Expenditure Form shows expenditures for that reporting period as well as to date - this form is used to request reimbursement of expenses. At the end of the project the company will be sent a two-page "Final Report" form to close out the grant. This form allows the company to provide feedback on how their training project went, as well as how the IWT Program might be improved.

Can you help us find employees?
Throughout the state local Regional Workforce Boards operate One-Stop Career Centers which are available to assist employers in the recruitment and assessment of potential employees. In addition, many of the centers can design a technical assessment for your company as well as provide local assistance with the training needs of your currently employed workers.


 

TRAINING DELIVERY -

Where can the training take place?
Training can be conducted at the business’s own facility, at a public or private training provider’s facility, or at a combination of sites that best meets the needs of the business.

Who actually does the training?
Program instructors can be full or part-time educators, vendors or subject matter experts or professional trainers from the business. The Incumbent Worker Training Program staff does not deliver the training. It only administers, monitors, evaluates and provides fiscal and grant compliance during the training process.

 

APPLICATION AND APPROVAL PROCESS -
 

How long does the process take after the application is submitted?
Staff communicates to the applicant within three working days from receipt of an application as to whether or not the application is complete. Funding recommendations are generally made within ten working days of receipt of a complete application, unless other action is required.

Who provides technical assistance?
The Incumbent Worker Training Program staff is available to provide technical assistance throughout the training program—from the application stage throughout contract execution, monitoring and fiscal closeout.

What happens after a grant is approved?
The company is notified that it has received a grant award effective as of a specific "award date". That means that the company can proceed as of that award date with funded training and will be able to request reimbursement for any associated approved expenses. When a grant award is made, Workforce Florida, Inc. sends the company a grant agreement (contract) for review, signature by an authorized company representative. The grant agreement is then returned for the Workforce Florida President's signature to fully execute the agreement. The company may begin requesting monthly reimbursements once there is a fully executed grant agreement.