On Thu, 10 Jul 2008 14:46:39 GMT, Mitch@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
wrote:
>On Wed, 09 Jul 2008 15:35:17 -0400, Bruce @[EMAIL PROTECTED]
wrote:
>
>>I now have the op****tunity to get some free, government paid training
>>for a career change.
>
>Can you elaborate on that? Is it some special cir***stance, is there
>some possibility of that for me as well.
>
>I'm 40, and also in the middle of a major career change.
>
>And good for you for getting out of something that makes you
>miserable.
There is a Federal program available called WIA, for Workforce
Investment Act. Here's the copy from the Ga. DOL:
Workforce Investment Act (WIA) One-Stop Workforce System
Summary for Job Seekers
The federal Workforce Investment Act was signed into law in August
1998, and went into effect in Georgia in July 2000. Then Governor
Barnes designated the Georgia Department of Labor as the state agency
responsible for WIA. The Governor also appointed a state Workforce
Investment Board to help plan and develop Georgia’s overall workforce
system.
In Georgia, there are 20 local service delivery areas. In each area
there is a local Workforce Investment Board, appointed by local
elected officials. Local boards are responsible for designing local
workforce systems that are employer led, demand driven, customer
friendly and continuously improving. No two local systems look alike,
since the workforce needs of communities differ.
Each workforce area has at least one comprehensive one-stop workforce
center that provides job seekers and employers a wide range of
workforce services. In Georgia there are over 45 comprehensive
one-stop centers (with two-thirds of these being GDOL career centers).
In addition to these comprehensive sites, many communities have other
places for customers to access workforce services, often called
“satellites.” These sites range from libraries to technical colleges
to welfare offices to kiosks at a mall.
A wide range of services is available at no cost to individuals (and
employers) at one-stop centers, with most centers offering a new
customer orientation to their services. Typical services for job
seekers include job search assistance and job matching; labor market
information about “hot” jobs in demand and salary ranges, etc.; help
in exploring training/education op****tunities; and financial aid
application assistance. Many of these basic services are available on
a self-service basis via computer for customers who are interested in
this approach.
Career counselors are available for customers who want more intensive
help:
• Exploring careers and making career choices, *****sing skills,
abilities and interests…
• Learning about the full range of workforce-related services in the
community, including specialized services for persons who are laid
off, youth, persons with disabilities, older workers…
• Finding out where to get training, including classroom training,
on-the-job training and customized training if available…
• Putting together a financial aid strategy to help meet the expenses
of education and training…
• Addressing special needs or cir***stances that have made it hard to
get or keep a job…
• Getting sup****t services such as childcare or trans****tation
services while attending school or working…
Some customers are eligible for Workforce Investment Act funding
through the WIA Individual Training Account Eligible Provider/Program
List System, if certain criteria or conditions are met. Eligibility
requirements for training services are somewhat different in each
area, based on local workforce needs and conditions and the policies
developed to meet those needs. Job seekers can browse occupational
skills training programs approved for Individual Training Account
funding online, but must work with a career counselor to determine
potential eligibility for funding.
Contact the one-stop workforce center serving your area to learn about
the specific workforce services available in your community and the
best way to access them - for example, to get a map, to learn whether
an appointment is required, or whether new customer orientations are
offered certain days or times.
The bottom line is that these are "grants" of up to $4,000 that DO NOT
HAVE TO BE PAID BACK to get training. The only catch is: you have to
be unemployed. Count me in. I'm still paying off my student loan for
the college degree ;-{
And another program will pay my unemployment while I work for a
potential employer, for a max of 30 hrs a week, for a max of 6 weeks.
I think I see a way to get a good job at no risk to a potential
employer.
Bruce
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