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Skills for Small Business

Eligible small businesses can receive state funding to provide customized training that builds employee skills and supports business success.

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Invest in Your Workforce

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 Alamo Technical Institute. TWC processes the applications and works with the college to fund the specific courses selected by businesses for their employees.

Eligibility & Funding

Who Can Participate?

This exceptional opportunity supports businesses with fewer than 100 employees and emphasizes training for new workers, though it also it can also fund training for incumbent workers.

 

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✓ 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 $2,000 for each new employee being trained and $1,000 for existing employees per contract.
✓ Funding for training is for full-time, regular employees.
✓ Willing to take assessments related to barriers, academics, skills aptitude, and workplace readiness
✓ 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must be selected from active course catalogs/schedules— credit, continuing education, online, or other available unpublished courses.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

Follow these steps to prepare your application for the Texas Workforce Commission Skills for Small Business Grant.

 
1

Identify Employees for Training

Determine which new or incumbent employees will participate in the training program.

2

Gather Employee Information

Identify each employee’s job/occupational title and corresponding Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) Code. Employers may use O*NET-SOC Auto Coder to find the best match between job titles/descriptions and SOC-coded occupations.

Identify employees' wages. Wages must meet or exceed the prevailing wage for the area where the business is located. TWC Wage Chart (Alamo Area)

3

Select a Training Provider

Locate the two-year public community or technical college nearest your location using the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board’s College Locator.

4

Submit Your Application

Complete the online application through the Texas Workforce Commission and provide all required information.

5

Review Helpful Resources

Before submitting, review the Skills for Small Business FAQ, NAICS information, and other application resources to ensure your application is complete.


For assistance, contact TWC's Workforce Business Services staff at 877-463-1777 or SkillsforSmallBusiness@twc.texas.gov.

 

Let’s Build the Future Together

Whether you're looking to train your current workforce, recruit skilled talent, or develop a long-term workforce strategy, Alamo Technical Institute is your partner in progress.

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