Brooklyn's Progress
June/July 2007

BY JILL SHEEHY

The New York City Department of Small Business Services has announced that a new round of funding is available for training grants. The grant is designed to grow the City’s economy by enabling employers to create and retain jobs, increase wages, build skills, and help workers advance in their careers. 
 
Up to $1 million is available in this round for employers in the sectors of Aviation, Construction, Film/Media, Financial Services, Healthcare/Bioscience, Hospitality/Tourism, Industrial/Manufacturing, Retail and Technology.

The grant, which can fund up to 50 percent of eligible training costs (with a $300,000 maximum) with the employer paying the balance, 

To date, New York City has awarded over $2.57 million to 29 companies to train 1,847 New Yorkers, all of which was matched by $3.67 million in employer contributions.

Flexible funding
Significant improvements were made to the grant, according to Small Business Services, enabling the City to fund a greater range of business training needs.

The grant will now fund “Work Readiness Training,” which includes themes like adult literacy and math skills, ESL classes, and workplace behavior skills like interpersonal communication and timeliness. The grant will continue to fund occupational training. The City hopes this will broaden the ability of businesses to find and keep qualified workers.
 
How to apply
Companies and organizations who wish to apply for the grant should refer to the document “Additional Information and Guidelines” posted in PDF format on the Small Business Services Web site, located at www.nyc.gov/training. Final applications are due by June 22, 2007