EmployIndy is one of the entities throughout the state of Indiana that helps distribute funds for the Next Level Jobs (NLJ) Employer Training Grant program, and applications opened on September 1st. 

The NLJ Employer Training Grant “reimburses employers who train, hire, and retain new or incumbent workers to fill in-demand positions.” Reimbursements can be as large as $5,000 per trained employee and a total of $50,000 per employer that participates.

A number of EmployIndy partners across different sectors have benefitted from this program in the past, and they aren’t shy about reporting positive results.

According to Sumco Human Resources Manager, Darla Hineman, the grant helped the electroplating manufacturer add new positions, offer promotions, and raise opportunities for existing employees. “Retention has improved,” Hineman said, “because we have been able to focus on engaging the employee and providing a more thorough training process.” 

For Synchrony Pharmacy, an Employer Training Grant meant the opportunity to train ten employees on new software, which those employees now use on a daily basis.

Micala McClain of Ridgeline Electrical Industries says that the organization was able to “increase productivity from the get-go,” by “implementing an incredible boot camp” for new employees.

At Franciscan Health, there were even life-and-death implications, as the hospital used money from the grant to create and run a patient care course. Director Michael Goins’ describes the course as one that, “prepares people for bedside care in the hospital.” This included student participants, who were able to begin employment at a higher rate of pay than they would have otherwise had access to.

Priority industries for this year’s grant money will include the health and life sciences, building and construction, IT and business services, transportation and logistics, advanced manufacturing, and agriculture. Each of those industries is further broken down into eligible occupations. EmployIndy distributions will prioritize veteran-, minority-, and women-own businesses, as well as companies that have not received funding in the recent past.

Questions on eligibility or the application process can be directed to Tracy Murphy (tmurphy@nullemployindy.org), EmployIndy’s Associate Director of Business Partnerships.