Are you unemployed or under-employed? Have you been laid off or received a notice of lay-off? If so, you might qualify for a WIOA-Pinellas government grant that can really help you get trained, certified and placed in your new career. There is no cost to you. Let’s see if you qualify!
With the number of computer networks doubling every 5 years, the job demand for IT employees continues to shoot up for this high paid career. If you qualify you can use the grant to get the certifications the employers we work with are seekingasking for|: CompTIA, Microsoft, Cisco, Oracle, VMware and more
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment of Security Analysts is projected to grow 32 percent from 2022 to 2032, which is much faster than average. Cyberseek.org’s supply and demand heat map shows over 550,000 job openings across the United States. Some markets are even better than others. The Tampa/Clearwater/St. Petersburg job market pays well, because it has over 7,000 job openings and the amount of qualified workers is very small. The cyber-crime epidemic is expected to triple the number of job openings over the next 5 years. Employers desperately need employees who are certified in Security+, CISSP, Certified Security Analyst (CySA), Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH) and CompTIA PenTest+
If you have management experience, one of the strongest job opportunities is in project management. In the Tampa/St. Petersburg job market the demand is especially high for project managers and pays quite well. The Project Management Professional (PMP) is the most sought after certification for this field. CIO ranked this certification number four for 2023. Other top certifications in this field include ITIL, Agile Master, and Scrum Master
Each year, more companies are realizing the benefits Business Analysts provide. Because of this, the Business Analyst job market is expected to climb at a rate of 19% over the next 10 years! With that type of growth, organizations are already competing for every Business Analyst they can get and pay good salaries. One of the most dramatic changes to this field is the need for business intelligence skills, like Excel, and Power BI. Companies now depend on data analysis technologies like Big Data analysis for organizational growth. With the right certifications, business analysts will get the business intelligence abilities they need to move up in their careers.
Responsible administrative assistants perform many administrative jobs and clerical tasks. Duties include providing support to managers and employees, helping in every day business needs and managing the company’s general administrative requirements. The more qualified administrative assistants can make a surprisingly good salary if they have the necessary requirements. Certifications like Microsoft Office Specialist (MOS) can really help to move up in this career.
Instead of having us talk about ourselves, why don’t we see what our clients have to say.
It is called the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA). it is a jobs program. It provides free training grants to help workers get trained, certified and placed in big demand careers such as IT, cyber-security, business analysis, project management and more. The idea is that there are fields in which there are not enough qualified workers and there are declining careers in which there are too many people. The Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) addresses this problem by providing free funding for career training in big demand fields to those who qualify for this grant. This training is intended to make your skills marketable so you can get hired and return to the workforce. This is a grant, not a loan. If you qualify, everything is included, even the exam. The amounts vary by county but can be as high as $10,000 in some areas.
The WIOA-Pinellas grant is a jobs program so you must pick a program where there is a high likelihood of employment. Each county has a regionally targeted occupations list (RTOL) to choose from. They want to make sure you select a career that is in high demand. For each approved occupation, there will be approved training plans to choose from.
The three most typical classes are: Dislocated Worker, Adult Low Income and Youth (18 -25). If you were laid off (or your position was eliminated or you were let go because of a reduction in force) from your last job, terminated, received a layoff notice or are a military spouse you could get approved as a Dislocated worker. If you are on Food Stamps or government assistance, or have low income based on what you have earned the last six months and family size, then you could get approved under Adult Low Income. For youths age 18-24, you might get approved if you are not enrolled in school. You must also be found to be “suitable.” This is not an entitlement. The process is perplexing so it is best to discuss this with us first to see if you qualify.
if you qualify for a WIOA-Pinellas grant, you need to select a plan that can be completed in a short period of time that will raise your marketability enough to help get you placed. We look at the best ways to use your experience to add a certification that will make you attractive to employers and easier to place. Some occupations are ideal for this: cyber-security, information technology, project management, business analyst, human resources, executive secretaries and administrative assistants etc.
There is no cost to you if you qualify. No reimbursement or any personal expenses. This is a grant, not a loan. Even the exam(s) are paid for. So what is the catch? We will be working with a remarkably bureaucratic government agency. The process is as clear as mud. A number of schools are hesitant to work with WIOA if they can avoid doing so. I highly advise you consult with an expert.
Yes! The whole purpose of this program is to help you get a job. We have teamed up with a staffing company that has devoted a person to work at our facility exclusively with our clients. She helps with your resume, cover letter, LinkedIn profile, interview preparation and most importantly, getting your information in front of hiring managers. We work with over three thousand employers in Central Florida who use us for their training needs. Many of them recruit from us so we get many job leads that are not accessible to the general public. Over half the jobs we have helped place people in are not even advertised.
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