Training incumbent workers for hard-to-fill jobs can often shorten recruitment and increase retention.  Upskilling is the perfect solution to the challenges for companies face hiring, retaining, and developing their workforce. Through upskilling, businesses are able to promote pre-vetted talent that are experienced in their company culture with the skills they need.

Incumbent Worker Training (IWT) is designed to provide funding assistance to qualifying employers to provide skills training to full-time, permanent employees.  Click on the link below to complete the online application, or email Business.Services@netxworks.org for more information. 

To be eligible for this program, employers must have the following qualifications:  

• A physical presence in one of the following Texas Counties: Bowie, Cass Delta, Franklin, Hopkins, Lamar, Morris, Red River or Titus.  Only employees from a location located in one of these counties are eligible to be trained.
• Company must fall within one of the Board's high demand industries, which include manufacturing, healthcare, construction, logistics, and information technology. 
• Public sector employers are not eligible. 
• A Texas Workforce Commission (TWC) Tax Account Number with a status of active and liable and must have/create an employer account in WorkInTexas.com with the same TWC Tax Account Number.
• Make a commitment to retain or avert the layoffs of incumbent worker trainees.
• Company agrees to reporting requirements that includes employee information.
• Companies participating in incumbent worker training are required to pay the non-Federal share of the cost of providing training to their incumbent workers. 
  • 10 percent of the cost, for employers with 50 or fewer employees;
  • 25 percent of the cost, for employers with 51–100 employees; and
  • 50 percent of the cost, for employers with more than 100 employees
• Companies must be aware of the following:
  • The non-Federal share provided by an employer may include the amount of the wages paid by the employer to a worker while the worker is attending incumbent worker training.
  • The employer may provide the share in cash or in-kind, based on a fair evaluation of the value of the in-kind contribution.
  • Workforce Solutions Northeast Texas will evaluate the fairness of the in-kind valuation using the standards in OMB Uniform Guidance, the state’s Uniform Grant Management Standards, and TWC’s Financial Manual for Grants and Contracts.
• To qualify as an incumbent worker, the incumbent worker must:
  • be employed;
  • meet the Fair Labor Standards Act requirements for an employer-employee relationship; and
  • have an established employment history with the employer for six months or more; however, exceptions apply when training is provided to two or more employees in the same cohort.

Click here to Apply Today!