The Charleston Area Alliance's Workforce Training Division ignites, promotes, and collaborates with others to provide for seamless education and career exploration and development focused on learners of all ages.The Alliance prioritizes and focuses Workforce Training to be aligned with economic growth targets by working with Community Colleges and the Workforce Investment Board. This partnership provides the opportunity to design the best possible solution to meet specific employer needs. An example of those programs include:
Governor's Guaranteed Workforce Program offers training grants up to $1,000 per employee for eligible companies that create a minimum of 10 new jobs within a 12-month period.
Competitive Improvement Program targets small (50 or fewer employees) and medium (under 500 employees) sized manufacturers. Grants, capped at $1,000 per trainee, require a 50 percent cash contribution by each employer and require employers to document an in-kind contribution (usually wages paid to employees while being trained) toward the project.
Workforce Development Initiative Program encourages partnerships between educational institutions and the business community. To qualify, community and technical colleges must establish their own revolving fund dedicated to workforce development initiatives. The program requires a one-to-one match from the private sector.
Small Business Workforce Program, part of the West Virginia Small Business Development Center system, reimburses the costs of pre-approved technology and technology training for eligible small businesses. The program can provide up to $5,000 in grants designed to enhance competitiveness and expand markets, and up to $10,000 in grants for technology businesses.
