Training Assistance

Training Assistance Governor’s Guaranteed Work Force Program This flexible, customized training program under the West Virginia Department of Economic Development, offers assistance to eligible companies and businesses by providing funding that directly supports the transfer of knowledge and skills. Companies must create a minimum of 10 net new jobs within a 12-month period. West Virginia Advance Program This flexible program offers customized job training awards to new and existing businesses. The program offers development and delivery of training services that will support a company’s startup and ongoing employee development initiatives through a local Community and Technical College. Workforce Innovation & Opportunity Act (WIOA) The WIOA was created to provide flexibility for state and local areas to collaborate across systems in an effort to better address the employment and skills needs of current employees, job seekers and employers. WIOA aligns training with needed skills and matches employers with qualified workers. It provides incumbent worker training and promotes work-based training—increasing on-the-job training reimbursement rates to 75%. On-the-Job Training (OJT) provides opportunities for participants to “learn as they earn.” The employer also benefits by being reimbursed for part of the participant’s wages during the training period, while having the services of a full-time employee. West Virginia Small Business Development Center The West Virginia Small Business Development Center (WV SBDC) assists entrepreneurs and small business owners at every stage of the business lifecycle by providing business coaching, training opportunities and access to resources. West Virginia BusinessLink WV BusinessLink, a service of the WV SBDC, connects companies and established businesses to a network of over 175 regional and statewide resources — all designed with the same goal in mind: helping small businesses succeed.