One key role of the public workforce system is to help businesses find the qualified workers they need. As a business, you will find an impressive array of screening and referral tools available. Depending on the capabilities and priorities of the local area, the services may include electronic job orders and job fairs, use of private interview space, background checks and customized screening, and regular referrals of qualified candidates.

Many businesses work with American Job Centers to find diverse candidates – such as youth, older workers, individuals with disabilities, and other untapped sources of workers.

The following are examples of solutions that your business can pursue at American Job Centers.

Recruitment and Screening

  • Recruiting, screening, and referring a variety of job seekers, ranging from entry level workers to highly-skilled professionals
  • Recruiting full-time, part-time, and seasonal workers
  • Hosting job fairs and providing office space for on-site screening and interviewing
  • Providing access to human capital and untapped labor pools
  • Offering workforce information about wages, employment trends, and national comparison
  • Key to Career Success for Business - Veterans and returning service members can add value to your business. Find out why, where and how to recruit and hire qualified veterans.

Training and Education

  • Providing access to training and education
  • Offering industry-recognized certifications
  • Developing customized training programs, such as pre-employment training
  • Connecting to apprenticeships programs with a mix of instruction and on-the-job training.
  • National Emergency Grants for significant dislocation events to expand service capacity at the state and local levels through time-limited federal funding assistance

Click here for more detailed information on training and education through the public workforce system.

Retention and Up-Skilling

  • Providing training services to incumbent workers and developing on-the-job and workplace training
  • Supporting employee retention by offering services such as transportation, childcare assistance, and mentoring programs to individuals engaged in training
  • Assisting businesses in applying for Work Opportunity and Welfare-to-Work Tax Credits
  • Assisting with layoff aversion strategies

Transitioning

  • State and Local Rapid Response
  • Providing on-site services, such as pre-layoff and retraining information
  • Easing the transition from point of layoff notification to shut down
  • Developing plans to access funds and services for individualized worker assistance
  • Providing assistance to the community to develop coordinated response to layoffs
  • Trade Adjustment Assistance – Providing training and income support program for transitioning workers

Visit your American Job Centers to find out how the staff can help you build a qualified workforce.

Education and Training

Building the skills and competencies of American workers is essential to ensuring the competitiveness of business in the global economy. The public workforce system recognizes that training for individuals must align with the needs of business and industry. There are several ways that the public workforce system supports this need for training.

Pre-employment Training

Most of the training offered by the public workforce system is available for individuals who are unemployed or underemployed. It is designed to help people develop the skills they need to enter the workforce in a high-growth, high-demand occupation as quickly as possible.

Individuals who meet certain conditions can qualify for Individual Training Accounts to pay for short-term training they need to advance in the labor market. Longer-term training is sometimes available for workers who have been laid off due to the impact of foreign trade.

As an employer, you have an opportunity to learn about the kinds of training that individuals are receiving in your local area, and you can also ask for the résumés of people who are completing training in fields that are relevant to your workforce needs. These trained workers can be a significant source of workers that meet your qualifications and expectations.

Find out more:

On-the-Job Training

Certain jobs will require training at the workforce that is beyond what individuals receive through pre-employment training. Under certain circumstances, employers may receive reimbursement for up to 50 percent of the costs to provide additional on-the-job training for individuals who were hired through the public workforce system. Your American Job Centers or Workforce Development Board can advise you on programs that may be available.

Incumbent Worker Training

Although the majority of training opportunities through the public workforce system are for individuals who are unemployed or underemployed, many states and local areas also support incumbent worker training as a critical facet of their regional economic development strategy. In fact, lifelong learning is increasingly the norm--and continuous skill development is often required to keep a step ahead of the global competition.

ETA has granted states the ability to make flexible decisions about training dollars for incumbent workers. Different states have made different decisions about whether they will support such training, which high-growth industries will be eligible, and yearly limits, among other important considerations. To learn more about programs in your state and whether your company may qualify, visit your local American Job Centers, talk to the local Workforce Development Board, or visit your state workforce agency.

Registered Apprenticeship

Registered apprenticeship is a structured way for companies to support career development for their employees. With a registered apprenticeship program at their company, workers know in advance the blend of classroom instruction and on-the-job training they need to successfully complete to enter designated jobs or gain promotions. Many companies have documented that registered apprenticeship has helped them to increase recruitment, increase retention, and reduce their overall training costs.

The federal Office of Apprenticeship, and apprenticeship offices across the country, are available to help companies evaluate if registered apprenticeship is right for them. Field staff can also provide technical assistance in setting up an apprenticeship.

Find out more:

Visit ETA’s website on apprenticeship