Could Your Business Get Help Paying to Train Employees? Indiana Employers Have an Option

The Indiana Employer Training Grant may help qualifying businesses offset the cost of training new or current employees.

Training employees costs money. Whether a business is teaching a new hire the skills needed for a position or helping an existing employee advance into a more skilled role, that investment can add up quickly.

Whether a business is teaching a new hire the skills needed for a position or helping an existing employee advance into a more skilled role, that investment can add up quickly.

Indiana employers may have a resource available to help offset some of those costs.

The Employer Training Grant, administered by the Indiana Department of Workforce Development, reimburses qualifying Indiana employers for eligible occupational-skills training for new or current employees working in high-demand positions.

For Rush County employers planning to strengthen their workforce, it’s a program worth knowing about.

How the Indiana Employer Training Grant Can Help

According to current Indiana DWD guidance, participating employers can receive up to $50,000 in reimbursements.

Eligible employers may receive reimbursement of up to $5,000 per newly trained employee, subject to program requirements. Workers must be trained, hired and retained for at least six months, and the training must meet the state’s eligibility standards.

This isn’t simply reimbursement for routine orientation or informal job shadowing.

The training must build occupational skills connected to an eligible, in-demand occupation.

What Types of Businesses May Qualify?

The Employer Training Grant currently supports training associated with six priority sectors:

• Advanced Manufacturing
• Agriculture
• Building & Construction
• Health & Life Sciences
• IT & Business Services
• Transportation & Logistics

Indiana-based employers of any size are encouraged to apply, although the proposed training and occupations must satisfy the program’s requirements.

That makes the program particularly relevant in a community like Rush County, where several of these sectors are important parts of the local and regional economy.

What Kind of Training Counts?

This is where employers should pay close attention.

Eligible training must meet Indiana Department of Workforce Development requirements and be connected to qualifying occupational skills and eligible positions. Routine onboarding, general human-resources training and informal job shadowing may not qualify.

Additional eligibility requirements apply, including requirements related to the employees being trained, wages, training duration and retention. Because program requirements can change, employers should confirm current requirements with the Indiana Department of Workforce Development before beginning training or making financial decisions based on anticipated reimbursement.

The best first step is to discuss the proposed training before it begins. That allows an employer to determine whether the business, employees and planned training meet current program requirements.

Why Employer Training Matters in Rush County

Workforce development isn’t only about finding someone to fill an open position.

Sometimes the person an employer needs is already on the payroll—or a strong candidate can become the right employee with additional training.

Developing workers internally can help employers build skills that match their specific operations while creating advancement opportunities for employees.

Indiana’s Employer Training Grant is designed around that concept: helping businesses grow their own talent.

For employers struggling to find workers with every skill they need on day one, that approach can open another option.

Instead of asking only:

“Where do we find someone who already has these skills?”

it may also be worth asking:

“Can we develop those skills in someone we already have—or someone we’re willing to hire?”

Indiana Employer Training Grant: What Employers Should Know

One important point: employers shouldn’t complete training and assume they can request reimbursement afterward.

DWD’s process requires employers to submit information about their proposed training and work with the program before reimbursement. The state describes the process in three basic steps: apply, establish the training program, and then seek reimbursement after program requirements are met.

If your Rush County business is considering hiring, upskilling employees or developing workers for harder-to-fill positions, investigate the program before the training begins.

Indiana DWD Employer Training Grant information

Rush County employers can also contact the Rush to Work Job Center/WorkOne in Rushville to discuss workforce needs and available employer resources.

Workforce development works best when businesses don’t have to navigate every resource alone.