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Overview
Through the Texas Workforce Commission (TWC) Skills for Small Business program, up to $2 million from the Skills Development Fund is dedicated to the backbone of Texas' business community—our small employers. Small businesses can apply to TWC for training offered by their local community or technical college, or the Texas A&M Engineering Extension Service (TEEX). TWC processes the applications and works with the college to fund the specific courses selected by businesses for their employees.
This exceptional opportunity supports businesses with fewer than 100 employees and emphasizes training for new workers though it also may help upgrade the skills of incumbent workers.
- Skills for Small Business emphasizes training newly hired employees, those who have been hired by the business up to twelve months prior to the date that TWC receives an application.
- The program pays up to $1,800 for each new employee being trained and $900 for existing employees per 12-month period.
- Funding for training is for full-time employees.
- All training must be provided by a public community or technical college, or the Texas A&M Engineering Extension Service (TEEX). No third-party vendor training is allowed.
- Training must be selected from active course catalogs/schedules— credit, continuing education, online or other available unpublished courses.
- Employers must pay the prevailing wages in the local labor market for the trainees funded under the grant.
How to Apply
- Identify new or incumbent employees to be trained.
- Identify each employee’s job/occupational title and corresponding Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) Code. Employers may use the Texas AutoCoder to find the best match between job titles/descriptions and SOC-coded occupations.
- Identify employee's wages. Wages must meet or exceed prevailing wage for the area where the business is located.
- Identify the two-year public community or technical college nearest your location using the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board’s College Locator.
- Apply online in the upper right hand corner or complete and submit the application directly to TWC, by email: SkillsForSmallBusiness@twc.texas.gov or fax: 512-463-7187.
- View the Skills for Small Business FAQ
for additional information on completing and submitting applications to TWC .
For assistance, contact TWC's Workforce Business Services staff at 877-463-1777 or SkillsforSmallBusiness@twc.texas.gov.
Skills Development Fund COVID-19 Special Training Initiative
The Skills Development Fund launched a training initiative to help certain businesses across Texas during the COVID-19 pandemic. Eligible grant applicants can provide rapid-response training to businesses that need training for their employees as a direct result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Skills Development Fund pays for the training.
For more information, please visit Skills Development Fund.
Governor's Small Business Forums
The Office of the Governor and TWC present a series of Governor's Small Business Forums statewide throughout the year. The forums inform the Texas entrepreneur and Texas small business community of challenges in starting, operating and growing a business while illuminating the many opportunities, tools, and resources available to the greater small business community. At the forums, TWC provides employers not only with information about the Skills for Small Business program, but also immediate access to the program's team of experts and contact information for their local college, TWC project developers and local workforce board leaders. Interested businesses work with a TWC project development specialist to complete applications during the forum. The Governor's Small Business Forums also showcase workforce board services, such as recruiting and hiring assistance, business development strategies, business tax credit information and labor market information.
Forms
Apply Online
Service
TWC Workforce Business Services Outreach & Customer Support Team
- Call: 877-463-1777
- Email: SkillsforSmallBusiness@
twc.state.tx.us
