I dont know how up to date is this information, but I hope it helps!!
Workforce Investment Act Funds
The Workforce Investment Act (WIA) gives funds to help displaced workers obtain the necessary training to find work. It is a federally funded program but each individual state gets to choose how they distribute the money. Each state has a list of "approved" courses and schools. The types of training vary greatly from state to state, and the amount of money that they give an individual also varies from state to state. Some states have a $2,500 limit others have paid $18,400 for A300 type ratings.
- Do not wait until after you are furloughed to find out what is available to you. In Pennsylvania, many people were approved for funds 3 weeks before they were furloughed and started B737 type rating training shortly after their furlough date.
- As pilots, we work for a company headquartered in one state, are based in another state (or have been based in more than one state in the past year), and live in another state. Depending on what state your employer paid your unemployment insurance, you may be eligible for funds from any or all of those states.
- Visit or call the unemployment office. Explain your situation. Ask to speak with someone who can tell you what type of training WIA funds for that specific state can be used. Many times, the first person you speak with is misinformed or knows very little about what WIA does and does not cover. Most times, if they don't know the answer they simply tell you that the answer is "no". Be polite, yet persistent. If you don't like the answer you get, visit another office or call and speak with someone else. Once you get the proper person, be prepared to convince them that you NEED this training to get a job.
- If you want a type rating and are not getting the results you want from the bureaucrats, try calling the school you wish to attend. If the school is WIA-approved by your state, they may be able to give you some insider tips on how to get the money. One person was denied funding by a state that had given funds to other people for the same kind of training, and the school was able to tell him the exact questions to ask, and he got his money. Or, if your state does not have that school on their WIA approved list, the school may be able to get themselves on the list. Higher Power has "broken into states" before.
Here is the link:
99s: Re-Training