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State Labor Department announces nearly $4 million in proven job creation training grants for businesses to hire long-term unemployed workers

by jmaloni

Press release

Fri, Mar 15th 2013 03:00 pm

New York State Labor Commissioner Peter M. Rivera has announced that New York still has nearly $4 million available in federal funding to help businesses hire long-term unemployed workers through the "On the Job" training program. These grants are proven job creators with past grants responsible for 445 businesses hiring 844 workers since 2011.

"This program is a great resource for New York businesses to expand their workforce and hire qualified individuals," said Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo. "I encourage any company looking to hire skilled and ready-to-work New Yorkers to take advantage of these federal grants now."

The grant provides training subsidies of up to $23,000 per worker - funded fully by a $6.4 million federal grant - to encourage the hiring of long-term unemployed workers and help offset the cost of training. The grants target long-term unemployed New Yorkers who have been unemployed for 20 weeks or more and go to employers to cover 50-90 percent of training-related expenses.

Rivera said, "In all corners of the state, these training programs are helping businesses grow and helping those who need a job get one. Gov. Cuomo's commitment to New York businesses is paving the way for a strong economy in a very big way."

Empire State Development President, CEO and Commissioner Kenneth Adams said, "Under Gov. Cuomo's leadership, New York state is training its workers to succeed and giving businesses the tools they need to grow. These grants will help grow and prepare our workforce by putting people to work and giving them the training they need to succeed."

Employers from across the state have benefited from the "On the Job" training program.

"The 'On the Job' training program has enabled us to work to train a genetic technologist and marketing associates here," said Anthony Johnson, president/CEO, Empire Genomics in Buffalo. "With the highly specialized work that we do, finding the talent and skills to understand the underlying mechanisms for diseases such as cancer is no easy task. 'On the Job' training is a crucial tool that will continue to aid us in our mission and help us build a world-class team."

"The OJT program has given CTM the ability to hire new employees who have the potential to help us develop and build important products such as the scoop that has been used to dig into the surface of Mars," said John J. Piseck of Custom Tool & Model Corp. in Frankfort. "Continuing the OJT program allows companies like CTM to develop a highly trained and skilled workforce and strengthens the manufacturing base all across New York."

"New York Air Brake has taken advantage of this great program. The 'On the Job' training program has allowed us to hire countless individuals lacking all the required skills for our positions and shift the cost of training these individuals to the 'On the Job' training program," said Lisa McCarty of New York Air Brake in Watertown. "This has allowed us to not only train our workers to be more productive, but has also allowed us to hire more individuals. I hope this program is around for years to come."

"As a small, growing coffee roasting company in rural Sullivan County, we are so grateful for the opportunity to participate in the OJT program," said Jodie Dawson, co-owner of Java Love Coffee Roasting Co. in Kauneonga Lake. "It has afforded us the ability to not only support our local community through job creation and skill development for local individuals, it has also given us the financial support to succeed during tough economic times. We are confident that with the continued, invaluable support of our county planning office and this unique program, Java Love will continue its exponential growth, participate in local economic development, and showcase the positive impact of this program."

Businesses can learn more about the available training funding by emailing [email protected] or visiting http://www.labor.ny.gov/businessservices/ojt.shtm.

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