Creating New Opportunities with On the Job Training

What could your business do with an extra $3,500? Well, if you are looking to hire and train a new employee that $3,500 could be available to help offset the cost of training. The On the Job Training (OJT) program is a Federal program that provides employers up to $3,500 towards training a new hire or upskilling an existing employee. You pick the person you want to hire, it’s your training plan, exactly like what you would do when hiring any new employee, but by setting up an OJT you get 50% of the new hire’s wages covered during the training period up to $3,500. Sounds too good to be true right, but it’s not!

“Thank you to Onward Eugene for introducing Turell Group to the On-the-Job Training (OJT) Program through Worksource Lane. I saw mention of it in a Eugene Chamber e-newsletter just in time to hire a project manager to train on a new software we need to implement. Now that we have successfully onboarded this employee, I have plans to use the OJT program for a second employee to be trained in digital media. I love being able to focus on finding the right candidate who is a cultural fit for our company and then training for the technical knowledge needed to do the job.”

–Dana Turell, President of Turell Group

Our goal is to expand the number and types of businesses that know about OJT. We are most excited about the range of companies we have reached that have used the OJT program to assist in the hiring and training process. From Positive Community Kitchen, a local non-profit making and delivering healthy meals to those dealing with illness, to MPulse software, a tech company creating advanced software for over 3,500 global businesses, to Arcimoto, training new technicians to build the next generation of electric vehicles. The types of businesses engaging with OJT are diverse in terms of industry and size.

I recently learned about the On The Job Training program through Lane County. I own a small business with under ten employees, and we are continuing to grow. We were able to utilize this program when we hired our new Press Operator. Screen printing is a fairly technical skill that involves not only the printing itself but color mixing, darkroom techniques, etc. We are happy to train new people on the skills, but it’s often somewhat of a burden as it slows down production and pulls our experienced printers away from their job for training. The OJT program gave us a bit of breathing room to make the transition easier. I hope to use the program again in the future as we continue to grow!

–Amy Baker, Owner of Threadbare Print House

This program benefits both the employer and the new hire or upskilled employee. With OJT funds, a business might be able to hire someone who is an excellent fit for the company but lacks the skills needed for that particular job. Providing the additional training that someone may need to succeed in a position enables them to gain valuable skills that can support them on their career journey. At its core, this program unlocks employment opportunities that would otherwise be just out of reach for a job seeker.

In our effort to reach a broader audience for OJT we worked with local animator and graphic designer Law Jackson of Kinetic Text to create engaging marketing assets from an animated video to an updated informational flyer. The graphics are eye-catching and depict a diverse representation of people, jobs, and settings. We wanted people to see themselves in the images and immediately see how OJT could work for their business.

On the Job Training Video

Now that you know about this fantastic program and how it can benefit both employers and employees let’s connect and see if OJT can help move your business Onward!