Training

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The Skills Development Fund is Texas' premier job training program providing training dollars for Texas businesses and workers.  Administered by the Texas Workforce Commission, success is achieved through collaboration among businesses, public Community and Technical Colleges, Local Workforce Development Boards and economic development partners.

The Kilgore community receives services through Kilgore College, Texas State Technical College (TSTC) and East Texas Workforce Board. Kilgore College and TSTC tailor training curriculum to match the needs of each specific company in addition to standard certificate programs/courses. The college will work with companies to prepare the application for state training funds.

The state-funded Skills Development Fund job-training program is available to new or to expanding existing industry through local community or technical colleges. The SDF program assists businesses and trade unions by financing the design and implementation of customized job training projects. It successfully merges business needs and local customized training opportunities to increase the skills level and wages of the Texas workforce. Pre-employment testing and screening are also available.

The average cost for an SDF trainee is approximately $1,500 with a standard length 12 month contract, although the actual cost can be higher or lower.  If the cost per trainee for a proposed project is higher than the average, an application may strengthen its proposal by including justification for higher cost.

SSB

Through the Texas Workforce Commission (TWC) Skills for Small Business program, up to $2 million from the Skills Development Fund is dedicated to the backbone of Texas's business community - our more than 433,000 small employers. Small businesses now can apply to TWC for training offered by their local community or technical college, or the Texas Engineering Extension Service (TEEX). TWC processes the applications and works with the college to fund the specific courses selected by businesses for their employees.

About the Program
The program emphasizes training newly hired employees - those who have been hired by the business up to three months prior to the date that TWC receives an application.
It funds tuition and fees up to $1,450 per newly hired employee and up to $725 per incumbent employee. An individual employee can participate once per 12-month period. Funding for training is for full-time employees.
All training must be provided by a public community or technical college, or the Texas Engineering Extension Service (TEEX). Training must be selected from active course catalogs/schedules - credit, continuing education, on-line or other available unpublished courses.
It may also emphasize training in occupations targeted by Local Workforce Development Boards.
Employers must pay the prevailing wages in the local labor market for the trainees funded under the grant.
 
How to Apply
Identify new or incumbent employees to be trained, and each employee's job/occupation title and corresponding Standard Occupational Classification Code.
  1. Identify employee's wages. Wages must meet prevailing wage for the area where the business is located.
  2. Identify the 2-year Public Community or Technical College nearest the business' location.
  3. Select training course(s) from the regular credit, continuing education and/or on-line course catalogs (PDF).
  4. Determine the business' targeted occupation. Skills for Small Business emphasizes training in occupations targeted by the local workforce board. To identify your local workforce board, please visit the state map showing all local workforce boards. Once you know your workforce board, review the board's list of targeted occupations.
  5. Complete and submit application directly to TWC. E-mail application to SkillsForSmallBusiness@twc.state.tx.us or fax to (512) 463-7187.
For assistance, contact TWC Workforce Business Services staff at (877) 463-1777 or e-mail Skills@twc.state.tx.us. 

For more information on the fund, click HERE.