The Incumbent Worker Training Program is designed to benefit business and industry by assisting in the skill development of existing employees, increasing employee productivity and the growth of the company. Both are expected to result in the creation of new jobs, the retention of jobs that otherwise may have been eliminated, and an increase in wages for the trained workers.

SLEC has worked directly with Bayou Region companies to obtain more than $25 million in training grants with more grants on the way.

Small Business Employee Training (SBET)

The IWTP Small Business Employee Training Program (SBET) is designed to benefit business and industry by assisting in the skill development of existing employees through individual, standardized (off-the shelf) training. Employers are reimbursed for tuition and required textbooks and manuals once the training has been completed and proper documentation has been submitted to the Louisiana Workforce Commission (LWC). Training costs cannot exceed $3,000 per trainee per state fiscal year (July 1 - June 30). Funding is provided through the Workforce Development Training Account, at 2.3% of all IWTP funds available.

Employer Eligibility Criteria

1. Employer must be a Louisiana based business with fifty or fewer employees.
2. Employer must have been in business in the state for at least three years, contributing and in full compliance with state UI tax laws.
3. Trainees must be incumbent workers for whom the employer incurs a state UI tax liability.
4. Employer can not receive IWTP Small Business Employee Training and IWTP customized training concurrently.
5. The request for training must be in a labor demand occupation(s) (Excel®) as defined for Workforce Investment Act (WIA) purposes, or in a cluster based industry as defined in Vision 2020.

Customized Training

The Incumbent Worker Training Program (IWTP) is a partnership between the Louisiana Workforce Commission (LWC), business and industry, and training providers. The program is funded by a portion of Unemployment Insurance (UI) tax contributions dedicated solely for customized training.

Employer Eligibility Criteria

1. Employer must have been in business in the state for at least three years, contributing and in full compliance with state UI tax laws.
2. Employer cannot receive IWTP Customized Training and IWTP Small Business Employee Training concurrently.
3. Employer must have at least 15 employees to be trained (employers can form a consortium to meet this requirement).
4. Employer must request training to either:
   • prevent job loss caused by obsolete skills, technological change, or national or global competition
   • create, update, or retain jobs in a labor demand occupation
   • update or retain jobs in an occupation which is not a labor demand occupation, if the administrator determines that the services are necessary to prevent the likely loss of jobs
5. Trainees must be incumbent workers for whom the employer incurs a Louisiana UI tax liability.

Training Provider Eligibility Criteria

Must demonstrate a history of:

1. Successful training through its placement, retention, and satisfaction rates.
2. Collaboration with the targeted industry in the development of the training program curriculum.
3. Use of a current industry standard as the basis for programs utilized to train students for employment in the targeted industry.

Click here to complete the IWTP online application.

Have additional questions about the Incumbent Worker Training Program?

Review the Frequently Asked Questions, email us, or Contact your Regional IWTP Specialist