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Pallet C e nt ral • July -Aug u st 2 0 24 21 chain issues, fulll large orders, and so much more. By not engaging with W IOA's On-!e-Job Training Program, manufacturers are directly decreasing the amount of cash that's owing into the organization. Without that cash, leaders will need to dip into other reserves or deprioritize alternative business investments in order to hire and train employees. !e money needed to properly train and onboard adds up fast, but with W IOA, employers don't have to sacrice other business priorities to invest in their new employees. Partnering With Local Workforce Boards Colleges and universities around the nation have very robust processes for working with local workforce boards and accessing W IOA funds, but in the private sector, especially in the manufacturing industry, businesses often miss out on this federal support. Without access to grant writers and teams that comb through funding opportunities, pallet manufacturers lack the resources to take advantage of W IOA programs. Luckily, local workforce boards are eager to remove barriers and help manufacturers tap into these funds. Local workforce boards want to help companies invest in and benet from W IOA programs. Operating in rural areas and large cities alike, these local workforce boards are the secret to boosting the funds pallet manufacturers have available for employee training and are very eager to nd more companies to participate in W IOA programs. For example, once our company (Workers in Demand) got some momentum in North Carolina, the program spread like wildre. More Than On-The- Job Training: 7 Ways To Benet From WIOA On-the-job training isn't the only way W IOA can benet businesses, employees, and job seekers. !ere are 7 dierent ways to benet: 1. Dislocated Worker Program Individuals who have lost their jobs due to layos or economic changes can tap into employment services and training to gain the skills needed to re-enter the workforce. 2. Adult Income Eligible Program Households with an income of less than 250% of the federal poverty level may qualify to have professional training funded through W IOA. 3. On-the-Job Training Targeted toward businesses, this program helps alleviate the costs associated with employee training. 4. Re-Entry Employment Opportunies Designed to provide employment support and training to formerly incarcerated individuals, this aspect of W IOA helps people re-enter the workforce. 5. Career Services !e struggle to nd a job isn't new, but the career services arm of W IOA helps make the process easier. 6. Apprenceship Apprenticeships under W IOA give people the chance to gain skills in paid, hands-on training opportunities. 7. Income Dependent Worker Training Low-income job seekers can benet from nancial support and training opportunities through W IOA to improve their employment prospects. Catch It On The Upswing! Right now, the resources provided by W IOA are extremely underutilized. J. Hunter Blohm is owner and president of Workers in Demand Consulng, providing consulng services on workforce educaon, workforce development, WIOA and other funding opportunies, and state and federal grants. He may be reached at Hunter@ WorkersInDemand.org or visit workersindemand.org. While universities, nonprots, and organizations with grant writers on sta have the capacity to sift through funding opportunities, many HR teams in business settings do not. By partnering with local workforce boards, pallet manufacturers around the nation can get funding to improve internal job training for their employees. In an industry where turnover is challenging, oering development opportunities, training support, and better onboarding experiences can make a dierence. !e W IOA program enables manufacturers to focus on one of their most precious resources—their people—without sacricing other business priorities. How to get started? Learn more about the W IOA at https://w w w. dol.gov/agencies/eta/wioa or connect with your state/regional Local Workforce Board. Send direct inquiries about NWPCA's eorts in workforce development to Gabriella Y barra, Manager, Public Aairs, at gybarra@palletcentral.com.

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