Found money

Have you ever reached in your pocket and found unexpected cash?

Recently, while getting ready for a trip to Massachusetts, I thought I'd better send my winter coat to the dry cleaners before going. I hadn't worn it since our trip back east last year, and it was getting dusty sitting in the closet. I reached into one of the pockets before dropping it off and what do you know? There was $300 in cash just waiting for me to find it.

Now $300 isn't going to change our lifestyle any but it was a nice little-unexpected bonus, and I certainly wouldn't mind finding it again.

As a small business owner, there may be available cash waiting for you just out of sight. There is a program in the State of California called the Employment Training Panel (ETP), and you may qualify for some money if you meet a few requirements.

The program was started in 1982 by the California State Legislature and was designed to assist in upgrading the skills of workers with training that leads to good paying long-term jobs. ETP is a funding agency, not a training agency. Locally the Kern Community College District provides the training utilizing funds from the program. The ETP program is entirely funded by a tax on California employers. It is collected alongside the unemployment insurance tax. One 1/10 of the 1 percent unemployment insurance tax goes into the training fund. ETP receives no general fund support and is entirely supported by the collection of this tax. The program is performance-based providing funds for trainees who complete the training successfully and are retained in well-paying jobs for a specific period of time.

The Kern Community College District Workplace Learning Resource Center has an agreement with the State of California Employment Training Panel to provide specific types of customized training for qualified employers.

Many of the instructional costs are offset through the ETP program. That's right, training can be done with little to no cost to you!

One of the issues for employers has been the paperwork required. The Workplace Learning Resource Center will handle the entire process, including attendance rosters, enrollment records, expense reports and more.

This is not a grant or a government freebie, it's your own money that has been set aside for you to train your employees so don't miss out!

Jay Thompson is a Business Consultant with the CSU Bakersfield Small Business Development Center. The CSUB SBDC provides premium, one on one, no cost consulting to small business owners in Kern, Inyo and Mono Counties. For more information visit their website at http://www.csub.edu/sbdc.