Incumbent Worker Training
Incumbent Worker Training Grants are business‐driven and designed to provide direct financial assistance to train current employees to avert a layoff, retain employees , or increase the skill levels of existing employees so they can be promoted within the company creating backfill opportunities for new employees. The Incumbent Worker Training Grants can offset a portion of the businesses’ costs to train and upgrade the skills of its current workers.
Incumbent Worker Training is work-based training and upskilling designed to ensure that employees can acquire the skills necessary to retain employment and advance within the company.
The purpose of the Incumbent Worker Training (IWT) Grants is to respond to the special requirements of an employer or a group of employers in partnership with other entities for the purposes of delivering training to:
- Help avert potential layoffs of employees, or
- Increase the skill levels of employees so they can be promoted within the company and create backfill opportunities for employers.
Employers and employees must meet certain eligibility requirements outlined in the IWT Grant Application Instructions. Grants are also subject to the availability of funding. Employers or an employer partnership can apply at any time. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis.