Training Assistance

If you need training to land your next job, our Career Centers can provide financial assistance for re-training to eligible applicants. By completing the form below, you will be contacted by a MassHire Career Counselor who can assist you by:

  • Providing assistance in evaluating your current skills
  • Helping you choose the vocational training program that meets your needs
  • Supplying information on approved training programs

Eligibility, deadlines and/or availability of funds may apply. Military veterans and eligible spouses receive priority of service. Eligible job seekers must provide proof of eligibility and must attend an in-person Training Information Meeting to be scheduled by a MassHire Counselor after the submission of the below form. Eligible job seekers will also need to take a Test of Adult Basic Education (TABE) for Reading and/or Math. Job Seekers may take a practice test for the TABE 11&12 Level D at this link: Practice TABE Test. The following are the initial eligibility guidelines and documentation required for adults (18 years+).

Eligibility Requirements

You must currently reside or have worked in our Service Delivery Area. If not, please contact your local MassHire Career Center by clicking HERE. The following cities and towns are eligible for the MassHire Central Career Center area:

Auburn, Boylston, Brookfield, East Brookfield, Grafton, Hardwick, Holden, Leicester, Millbury, New Braintree, North Brookfield, Northborough, Oakham, Paxton, Rutland, Shrewsbury, Spencer, Upton, Warren, Blackstone, Hopedale, Mendon, Milford, Millville, Northbridge, Uxbridge, West Boylston, West Brookfield, Westboro, Charlton, Douglas, Dudley, Oxford, Southbridge, Sturbridge, Sutton, Webster and Worcester.

You must be legally authorized to work in the United States of America. Any of the following documents can be used to show this authorization:

Birth certificate (for US citizens), US passport, voter registration card, alien registration card indicating right to work, foreign passport stamped eligible to work or naturalization certification.

For more information or to Request Employment Authorization, click HERE.

You must possess one of the following: driver’s license, birth certificate, DD214 (veterans only), baptismal record, federal/state/local government identification card, Selective Service card, hospital record or passport.

Must be 18 or older to qualify for WIOA Adult or Dislocated Worker training funds. If you are under 18, click HERE to see youth services.

Males 18 or older who were born on or after January 1, 1960 must be in compliance with the Military Selective Service Act (draft registration). Acceptable forms of documentation include: DD214 (veteran’s status), Selective Service card, Selective Service registration form, stamped post office receipt of registration.

To register for Selective Service or to verify your Selective Service registration status, please click HERE.

You must be a registered member of the MassHire Central Career Center. If you have attended a Career Center Seminar in-person or virtually within the past 12 months, you are a member.

If not, you must register to attend a Career Center Seminar. You can click HERE to create a profile on JobQuest and schedule the seminar yourself. You can also call your local career center to be scheduled over the phone.

1. Dislocated Worker – an individual who has been terminated or laid off, or who has received a notice of termination or layoff from employment and is eligible for or has exhausted entitlement to unemployment compensation. *Documentation of unemployment insurance (UI) records required.

2. Displaced Homemaker – an individual who has been providing unpaid services to family members in the home and who has been dependent on the income of another family member but is no longer supported by that income. Documentation required to determine “Displaced Homemaker” status would be tax returns, Social Security documents, death certificate or divorce decree.

3. Economically Disadvantaged – status based on family size and income which includes gross wages and salaries (before deductions), pay received while serving in the Armed Forces, pensions, Worker’s Compensation, interest and dividends, net rental income and fixed term or lifetime winnings. It does not include unemployment compensation payments, child support, savings, food stamps (SNAP) and some forms of public assistance such as SSI, TAFDC or EAEDC. The income guidelines for program year 2025 (July 1st, 2024 – June 30th, 2025) based on family size and previous 6 month allowed income are:

You will be asked to document your household income and your family size for eligibility purposes for the last 6 months.

A family is defined as:

1. a spouse and/or dependent children, or other dependents

2. a parent or guardian and dependent children

*An individual not meeting the above definition of family is considered to be a family of one. A single individual 18 years or older living apart from family, as defined above, is a family of one. An individual with a disability is also considered a family of one. Acceptable forms of family size verification are birth certificates statements, medical cards or most recent tax return supported by IRS documents (e.g. Letter 1722).

Please answer the following questions to determine your eligibility for training assistance. By doing so, a counselor will be in touch with you to discuss your training options. If you are having issues with completing the form or would like to speak to a counselor regarding the eligibility requirements, please call us at 508-799-1600.

TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES (SECTION 30)

If you are approved for training under this program, you can:

  1. Continue to collect UI benefits while participating in a job skills training program. DUA will waive your work search requirement while you are enrolled in full-time, agency-approved training.
  2. Receive up to 26 weeks of extended UI benefits. These benefits, known as Retraining Extended Duration (RED) benefits, are paid while you are enrolled in a full-time, agency-approved training program.

Eligibility Requirements

You may be eligible for approved training if you:

  • Have an eligible claim for UI benefits;
  • Are permanently separated from your previous employer;
  • Are unlikely to obtain suitable employment based on your current skill level and need training to become re-employed; and
  • You possess sufficient aptitude and skills to successfully complete and benefit from approved training. Individuals who do not speak English or require remedial education may first participate in English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL), Adult Basic Education (A.B.E.), or other Basic Skills courses.
  • Submit a complete Training Opportunities Program (Section 30) application within the first 20 weeks that you receive your UI benefits.

**IMPORTANT** DUA does not pay for training. If you need financial assistance to pay for your training, a MassHire Career Center can help locate financial resources, including federal or state grants and loans.

ADULT DISLOCATED WORKER PROGRAM -ITA

This federal program under Title I of Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) is designed to provide quality employment and training services to assist eligible individuals in finding and qualifying for meaningful employment and to help employers find the skilled workers they need to compete and succeed in business.

Subject to availability of funds, financial assistance may be granted for re-training to eligible adults (18+) within these target groups:

  • Dislocated Workers
  • Displaced Homemakers
  • Economically Disadvantaged

Veterans receive Priority of Service

Priority of Service is provided to veterans and their eligible spouses and requires that our Veterans receive priority throughout the full array of services provided through the MASSHIRE Center System. The purpose is to provide priority of service to Veterans and spouses of certain Veterans for the receipt of employment, training, and placement services in any workforce preparation program directly funded, in whole or in part, by the Department of Labor. To obtain priority of service for a specific program, a Veteran or eligible spouse must meet the statutory definition of a “covered person” and also must meet any other statutory eligibility requirements applicable to that program.

Trade Adjustment Assistance Reauthorization Act (TRADE)

The TRADE Program provides benefits to workers who lose their jobs, or whose hours of work and wages are reduced as a result of increased imports, or whose jobs were exported offshore. The TRADE program provides benefits which include a variety of reemployment services designed to help trade-affected workers prepare for and obtain suitable employment.

ALL benefits provided under the Trade Program are administered by the Department of Career Services (DCS) and Department of Unemployment Assistance (DUA). See Approved Courses / Vendors for programs currently approved for Trade

NATIONAL DISLOCATED WORKER GRANT (NDWG)

NDWG’s are federal grants, which provide funds to assist workers affected by major economic dislocations such as workforce reductions and company closings.  NDWG’s focus on specific industries, companies or clusters of companies that are closing or implementing downsizing initiatives of significant proportion. Employees who have been laid off or who have received notice of impending layoff and whose company has been named in the specific grant may be eligible.

 

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