Tompkins Workforce NY May Help Pay for Your Job Training

TOMPKINS COUNTY, NY -- Tompkins Workforce NY is paying people to get training for in demand jobs.

In this program, a person can receive up to $5000 dollars from Tompkins Workforce NY.

Up to $3000 is available for tuition, and up to $2000 for costs like transportation and books.

There is a list of over 130 local in-demand jobs that the funds can be used for. This list is from 2018, so jobs that became in-demand due to the pandemic might not be on the list.

Jackie Mouillesseaux is the Director of the Office of Unemployment and Training at Tompkins Workforce NY. She said “The whole purpose of having this in-demand list is to help guide people to what kinds of training they should pursue or what types of jobs they should pursue if they're either relocating or staying in this area.”

The program is selective. Just 12 out of over 70 people have been approved so far this year. It’s usually the last source of funding available to someone, after other options like financial aid are considered. 

To be eligible, an individual has to be unemployed, have their household income fall within 200% of the federal poverty guidelines, or have systemic barriers to deal with like language, disability, or lack of transportation. The training also has to be approved on the New York State Eligible Training Provider List.

The funds for this program have been available since 2016 from the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act. After a hiatus during the pandemic, this program came back in the spring. 

Tompkins Workforce New York will be holding a Training Funding Overview on Zoom on Tuesday July 20th at 1 pm. Anyone who would like to attend can register to get an email with the Zoom link.