CareerSource Northeast Florida (CareerSource NEFL) has expanded Customized Training (CT) support funds to include new employees, as well as existing employees, and has also announced higher wage-cap rules – giving more companies the ability to access the training program.
A federally-funded program, CT is designed to help companies with specific training needs to advance the skills of their current workforce by offsetting some of the associated costs. The program is available to companies operating in Northeast Florida, with funding priority given to companies in targeted-industry sectors including manufacturing, healthcare, finance, information technology, logistics and transportation.
CT sometimes lasts months or can be as short as a day – and companies are free to choose outside training providers or use their own internal experts.
Recent policy changes to the CT Program mean employees are no longer required to work their company at least six months to qualify for the funding – and the wage cap for the trainees approved for the CT program increased to $29.99 per hour in 2022.
Through its relationship with the First Coast Manufacturing Association, CareerSource NEFL staff have
introduced the CT program to many member companies in Northeast Florida. Some company participants include Grace Aerospace, SolarStik and Vision Manufacturing.
Others include Serco, which used the CT program to support the Industrial Manufacturing Technician
Apprenticeship Training offered by FloridaMakes; Carlisle, which used CT funds to support internal
apprenticeship programs; and Soler & Palau USA, which applied CT funds to support SolidWorks classes.
BAE Systems Principal Training Specialist Ernie Aglugub says his company welcomes the changes.
Offering “a very competitive wage scale,” Aglugub said the old CT wage cap was limiting BAE System’s ability to use the program.
“When I started in this role eight years ago, more than 60 percent of our production employees were eligible for CT funding, but the number had dropped to less than 30 percent since the wage cap remained unchanged,” Aglugub said.”
BAE Systems employs more than 650 full-time employees at its Jacksonville shipyard, including more than 400 production employees – which are the ones who usually access the grants.
“Before the wage cap increase, less than 131 of them were eligible under the program, but with the changes, that number moved up to 370…so it jumped quite a bit,” he said.
BAE Systems uses the CT program for upskilling employees, which includes maintaining certifications.
While BAE Systems has a training specialist, Aglugub says smaller companies without someone in that role should not be dissuaded from applying for CT funds since CareerSource NEFL will help companies with the process.
For more information about the CT program, manufacturers should contact Roben Faircloth
at rfaircloth@careersourcenefl.com or by phone (904) 798-9229 x2228.
Companies in other targeted industry sectors interested in the CT program can visit https://careersourcenortheastflorida.com/contact-business-services/ and request more details.