14 North 8th Street Oakland, MD 21550 301-334-8136 Garrett County Office 14 North 8th Street Oakland, MD 21550 301-334-8136

Who are we? We provide workforce development services to eligible county residents and to local employers We are NOT a staffing service We help Garrett County job seekers improve their education, skills, and help them find employment We help local employers to find quality employees for their business or organization

Overview of Services for Garrett County Employers Work Experience Program On-the-Job Training & Reverse Referral Incumbent Worker Training

Work Experience A Work Experience is generally 8-12 weeks of employment with a business that is paid completely by the Consortium at NO cost to the employer – and that includes workers compensation The employer simply allows an individual to work for their business Employees can work up to 35 hours per week Allows job seekers to explore career opportunities & to develop their work readiness and job skills Allows employers to see if a worker might be worth hiring permanently after completing a successful Work Experience program that has been paid for by us

On-the-Job Training (Adults & Youth) Assists employers with the costs of training new employees by reimbursing up to 50% of an eligible hire’s wages for the first few months of employment Eligible youth trainees qualify for 75% reimbursement of their training wage The business hires & trains the employee and the Consortium simply provides the reimbursement check directly to the business This program is limited to full-time positions (32+ hours per week) Reverse Referral – the employer can refer an applicant to us to see if they meet Consortium criteria for the wage reimbursement

Incumbent Worker Training Helps to avert potential layoffs of employees or increase the skill levels of employees so they can be promoted and create backfill opportunities for the business A maximum of $1,000 per trained worker can be paid to the employer under this policy 25% of the cost is paid for employers with 50 or fewer employers 40% of the cost is paid for employers with 51 to 100 employees 50% of the cost is paid for employers with 100+ employees Training is allowable for 32+ hour per week employees Provides both employees & employers with the opportunity to build and maintain a quality workforce Incumbent Worker Training

Employers Garrett Regional Medical Center HART for Animals Local employers & organizations that we work with on a regular basis include: Garrett Regional Medical Center HART for Animals Naylor's Ace Hardware The Town of Oakland Ruth Enlow Library Southern High School Appalachian Crossroads

Other Services Provided: Resume writing Job searching Interview skills Career counseling

Our services are funded under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) The goal of WIOA is to increase employment, retention, earnings, and occupational skills of participants Who is eligible? Dislocated Workers – those that have lost their job because of a layoff or total closure, or are no longer self-employed because of economic conditions Incumbent Workers - Employees that need to improve skills to avoid a layoff Adults – 18 and older that are low income or have another qualifying barrier to employment Out of School Youth – Age 18-24, low income and facing another qualifying barrier to employment In School Youth – Age 14-21, attending school low income and facing another qualifying barrier to employment Funding & Eligibility

Our Location Oakland Community Center 14 North 8th Street in Oakland – The Armory Or, we can meet you at your place of business! Call 301-334-8136 http://westernmarylandconsortium.org/