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Subsidizing Safety Training Through a State Grant
9/6/2002
 Businesses throughout Indiana received an invoice during May from the Incumbent Worker Training Board (IWTB). The amount requested represented .09% of the businesses' previous year's unemployment taxable wages.
Payments made by Indiana businesses to this worker training fund will be used to provide worker training for the purpose of attracting and keeping businesses in Indiana. Your company is eligible to benefit from these grant funds. Are you interested in subsidized safety training'
According to the Department of Workforce Development (DWD), grant money made available through this fund amounted to over $58 million. While slightly more than half of this will be allocated to Ivy Tech over the next three years, the remainder is being set aside for small and large Indiana businesses. Indiana businesses have been strongly encouraged to submit applications to the DWD for the purpose of obtaining grant money for employee training.
WHAT MUST AN EMPLOYER DO TO OBTAIN MONEY FROM THIS FUND'
Typically, searching for grant money involves the following steps:
1. Determine need of company or organization.
2. Locate available grants (state, federal, corporate, etc.).
3. Determine eligibility of company or organization.
4. Determine deadline for submitting application for selected grants.
5. Submit inquiry letters (if applicable).
6. If positive response is received, obtain application kit and prepare submission.
7. Submit package and await response.
8. If approved, implement plan.
As far as the IWTB is concerned, steps two through five (listed above) have already been accomplished. If your company has a specific safety training (or any other training need), your company may prepare an application to be become a recipient of grant money from Indiana.
If your company has a need that could benefit from any of the safety training classes offered by Safety Management Group (SMG), a representative of our company would be very interested in assisting in you in the preparation and submittal of an application for IWTB grant funds. This process will typically include the following activities:
' Assembling a committee who will review and approve (and ultimately administer) the proposed training project.
' Determining specific safety training needs/services of the company.
' Determining specific, measurable outcomes of the project being funded by the grant.
' Determining specific products or services offered by SMG that would meet the needs of the company.
' Developing an implementation plan that includes budget requirements.
' Determining how outcomes of the project would be measured.
' Preparing and submitting an application package.
Depending on the specific needs of a company, SMG is prepared to develop a package of competency certifications for your company. Classes contained in this package could be customized for the specific needs of the company and include any of the following classes offered by SMG:
' Confined Space Entry
' Fall Protection
' First Aid/CPR
' Scaffolding
' Trenching/Excavation
The IWTF has provided guidelines for eligibility that include the following:
' All Indiana businesses are eligible to apply and will be voted on by the IWTF. Grant funding is limited and applicants will be judged on a competitive basis. The Unemployment Insurance Board will also be required by law to approve the funding recommendations of the IWTB.
' Applicants must show that the training will result in clear career paths, wage-gains, and portable skills that are recognized and able to be carried with the employee throughout his or her career.
' In-state training providers are preferred, unless the nature of the training requires an external provider that is considered a 'sole source vendor'.
' All Indiana businesses are welcome to apply, but those applicants that are within recognized high-skill/high-demand occupations will be preferred. All applicants must show an overall benefit to the Indiana economy.
' Basic adult education does not qualify under the IWTF. Applicants interested in basic education will be referred to other resources that are available.
The IWTB also states that no minimum grant amount is required, but most applications do not exceed $200,000. Applicants for grant funds are encouraged to provide matching funds or 'in-kind' matches.
Important challenges that need to be considered before preparing a grant application include the following:
' Determining a specific need that makes the training necessary.
Typically, a company's hesitation to fund the training out-of-pocket would not suffice as a genuine need that would resonate with those who decide which grant applications receive funding. Specific safety issues faced by your company should determine specific needs for safety training grants. Are injury rates higher for the work performed by your employees than other trades' Do your employees require unique safety skills' It's best if your company's specific need is supported by regional, state, or national safety statistics.
' Determining an outcome and a means of measuring the outcome of the training. Measuring tangible results of the training funded by the grant is not always easy. Results could be based on a comparison of test scores of trainees before they receive training with test scores posted after the training. Some applicants simply site their desired outcome as producing 'best in class' journeypersons. Obviously, a measurable outcome is more desirable and will potentially enable successful projects to be renewed.
Attempting to obtain grant funds can be a useful source to fund training for your employees. The grant proposal process for IWTB funds is not complex, but will require diligence on the part of the proposal preparer to ensure that the applicant has a legitimate chance to receive needed funding.
Click 'IWTF Info.pdf' below for additional information about the Incumbent Worker Training Fund.
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