Montgomery County Community College’s Workforce Development Division invites eligible Montgomery County companies to apply for Workforce and Economic Development Network of Pennsylvania (WEDnetPA) funding for their workforce training needs. Due to the implementation of a new statewide technology platform, the applications were delayed, but are now open as of December 2, 2024.

WEDnetPA is a state training reimbursement grant program where eligible companies can receive state grant funds to help pay for workforce training. As a WEDnetPA partner, MCCC administers and distributes funding to Montgomery County companies. During fiscal year 2023-24, MCCC administered over $500,000 of WEDnetPA funding, helping 36 companies and training over 700 employees. The average grant award for any one company was approximately $12,000.

To be eligible, companies must be located in Pennsylvania and be part of eligible industry clusters, as defined in the Commonwealth’s Guidelines. The maximum grant is $2,000 per employee, up to $100,000 per company per fiscal year. Companies may only receive funding for two consecutive years or three years out of five. Nonprofit organizations are not eligible for funding.

For employees to qualify, they must be residents of and permanently employed in Pennsylvania on a full-time basis. In addition, they must earn at least $16.74 per hour and be employed by the specific company location for which a grant is awarded.

Training programs, explains Bernadette DeBias, MCCC’s Director of Workforce Development, should start after July 1, 2024, and be completed before June 30, 2025. Even though the application period has been delayed, companies can include training events from July 1, 2024 through June 30, 2025. The programs should involve skill building for current jobs or advancement. Employers pay for the cost of training upfront and are reimbursed at completion. Companies can choose their WEDnetPA partner and the training vendors.

MCCC’s Workforce Development Division works with companies to develop customized training that is specifically designed to meet their goals, helping them to grow and increase their competitive advantage.

Some examples of MCCC’s customized training in 2024 include:

• OSHA 10
• Six Sigma Yellow Belt
• Customer Service
• Conflict and Emotional Intelligence
• Continuous Improvement – Standard Work
• Lean Manufacturing
• Leadership training
• Excel training – beginning, intermediate, and advanced
• Project Management

“This is only a small list of customized programs that MCCC’s Workforce Development Division provides,” said DeBias. “Training can be held in-person or virtually for companies by our qualified trainers, who are subject-matter experts within industry, and are proficient in developing training solutions.”

To apply for WEDnetPA funding grants, companies should submit applications now for the new fiscal year. Companies can submit training plans for the entire fiscal year, from July 1, 2024, through June 30, 2025, said DeBias.

Anyone interested in learning more about WEDnetPA and the application process, should contact Bernadette DeBias (bdebias@mc3.edu) or Katina Faulk (kfaulk@mc3.edu) to discuss eligibility, process, and training plans.