Thread: Comair updates?
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Old 12-04-2008 | 09:38 AM
  #10651  
CRJDriver
Gets Weekends Off
 
Joined: May 2007
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From: Some Hotel
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Here you guys go, hope this will help some of you...

WORK FORCE INVESTMENT ACT FUNDS
For Furloughed/Displaced Aviation Workers

The Workforce Investment Act (WIA) provides funds to help displaced workers obtain the necessary training to find work. It is a federally funded program but each individual state is allowed to choose how they distribute the money. Each state has a list of �approved� courses & schools. The types of training vary from state to state, & the amount of money they give to each individual also varies from state to state. Some states have a $2500 limit & others have paid up to $18,400 for an A300 type rating.
  1. 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 & started B737 type rating training shortly after their furlough date.
  2. As pilots & dispatchers, we work for a company headquartered in 1 state; are based in another state (or have been based in more than 1 state in the past year); & 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.
  3. Visit or call the unemployment office. Explain your situation. Ask to speak with someone who can tell you what type of training the WIA funds will cover. The first person you speak with is quite often misinformed or knows little about WIA. The most common response to your questions is �No� when they don�t know the answer. If you don�t like the response you get, ask to speak to a supervisor, or visit another unemployment office. Once you get the individual in charge of WIA funding, be prepared to convince him that you NEED this training to get a job. (AGS can provide a copy of a current publication proving jobs are available nationwide for dispatchers and pilots, or look at our dispatcher job listings on our home page).
  4. If you do not get 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 funding. 1 person was denied funding by a state that had given funds to other applicants for the same training. The school was able to intercede on his behalf with the state & assist in securing train- ing funds.
  5. If the school is not on the approved list in your state, the school can apply for approval. Airline Ground Schools will make application immediately via the internet to your state requesting approval if you are interested in Dispatcher or Pilot training. Each state, unfortunately, handles WIA funding & a school must apply to every state which is time-consuming. AGS is currently approved in KY, OH, CO, & our application is pending in CA.
Securing WIA Funds From Individual States

**To look up WIA contact and procedural information please visit the Department of Labor's WIA website**
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