June 28, 2007
Contact: Curt Stewart 801.526.4315
Salt Lake City – Nineteen Utah companies will receive a portion of $1,774,000
for training skills upgrades for their workers through the Incumbent Worker
Training Program.
The Incumbent Worker Training Program (IWTP) is designed to benefit business
and industry by assisting existing employees’ skill development thereby
increasing employee productivity and company growth. It is expected to result
in the creation of new jobs, the retention of jobs that otherwise may have been
eliminated, and an increase in wages for the trained workers. Companies receiving
the training grants are required to provide 50 percent matching funds for each
trainee.
“These funds are specifically earmarked for employee training and available
to businesses that have a long-range commitment to employee training, with defined
advancement opportunities for their employees,” says DWS Executive Director
Kristen Cox. “This program is all about improving the skills and strengthening
Utah’s workforce now and into the future.”
The IWTP is a partnership among the Utah Department of Workforce Services, the
State Workforce Investment Board and business and industry. Funding for IWTP
comes from the Adult and Dislocated Worker programs under the federally funded
Workforce Investment Act.
The long-term goal for this initiative is to create an infrastructure that provides
training and education to enhance the skills of incumbent workers, increase
the wages of workers through a career ladder, and positively impact the revenues
of businesses by increasing their productivity in order to remain competitive
in today’s global economy.
Each year, the department and the State Workforce Investment Board will determine
the funding level for the IWTP. Once it is determined funding is available,
notification to employers occurs by posting an announcement on www.jobs.utah.gov
and sending an announcement via email to all employers registered with the department.
For more information contact Curt Stewart at 801-526-4315.