Stanislaus County businesses can receive money to train employees. Who qualifies

The Modesto Chamber of Commerce has received funding from the California Employment Training Panel (ETP) that will go toward reimbursing businesses for the cost of training new employees.

This $408,000 multiple-employer contract (MEC) will reimburse employers for up to 200 hours per employee per year and at a rate that is contingent on the type of training conducted. The types of training include in a classroom, on a computer or on the job, said Modesto Chamber of Commerce business support coordinator Stephen Shaw.

Through the funded training, which enables employers to bridge the skill gap of new and incumbent workers, there also is an opportunity for increased wages for employees over time.

“With the companies having this opportunity for reimbursement through our MEC-ETP fund, the hope is they will be able to afford to grow their business and their employee base,” Shaw said.

Who qualifies for ETP funding

This round of ETP funding targets the manufacturing industry. Manufacturing is defined by companies that self-identified with the North American Industry Classification System.

“We chose to focus on just manufacturing with our first application” of the MEC, Shaw said. “We looked at others and found that not all were considered priority industries in our area, which is what we were wanting to focus on.”

Within the region, there is a tremendous need for technical training such as maintenance mechanics, information technology and robotics, the chamber said in a news release. New technology and automation require extensive training due to the complexity of the systems.

One example of how the chamber plans to use the funds is with the VOLT institute, a trade school on I Street in Modesto.

“For employers who send employees to VOLT for various trainings they offer, they can submit for reimbursement to us,” Shaw said.

Other companies that could take advantage of the chamber’s MEC include Repsco, a plastic fabrication company in Riverbank, and Stanislaus Foods Products, a cannery in Modesto.

Under the MEC for the manufacturing industry, the chamber has two years to fully utilize the funds, though it doesn’t expect to take that long.

The chamber can submit for another contract once the current funds are disbursed.

“This is another tool we sought out to support our business community, this one just happens to be for a specific industry,” Shaw said.

How business owners can apply for training reimbursement

Employers will need to be onboarded into the chamber’s fund portal, which can be found on its website , www.modchamber.org.

Shaw said that employers will be required to track training time spent on the clock. They will then submit their tracking to the chamber, and the chamber submits for funds for various employers simultaneously, on their behalf.

“We disseminate their portion back to the individual employers as the bulk reimbursements arrive to us,” Shaw said.