WEDnetPA

Since its inception in 1999, more than 17,000 companies and 1,000,000 employees across the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania have utilized The Workforce and Economic Development Network of Pennsylvania (WEDnetPA). WEDnetPA brings training funds to qualified companies across the Commonwealth through a network of community colleges, state system universities, and other educational institutions. WEDnetPA strives to strengthen the business environment of the Commonwealth by helping companies improve the skills and productivity of Pennsylvania workers. Funding for this program is provided by the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED) through its Pennsylvania First Fund. 

The Kutztown University Small Business Development Center is one of more than two dozen WEDnetPA partners. It serves as a local point of contact to assist your company in determining your eligibility, completing an application, and submitting invoices for reimbursement. 

To offer greater simplicity, we cut the amount of paperwork in half. Now, there is only one application, one training plan and one contract to focus on. We also consolidated the funding to streamline the application process. There is now only one single funding source, “Job Skills Training”— so companies will no longer face the confusion that stemmed from having to choose between “Essential Skills Training” and “Technical Skills Training.”

WEDnetPA Process:

The new WEDnetPA process now requires only ONE application, ONE training plan and ONE contract. For more information, please review the Program Overview.

Is my company eligible?	Are my employees eligible?	Is my training eligible?
Must be located in Pennsylvania.	Must be a resident of and employed in Pennsylvania.	Must be skill building for current job, advancement or promotion.
Must be in an eligible industry and commercial/industrial in nature.	Must earn at least $12.00 per hour, excluding benefits.	Must start and be completed within the fiscal year (July 1 through June 30) for which the funds are awarded. Partial training cannot be reimbursed.
Cannot be limited or explicitly defined as ineligible.	Must be permanently employed full-time and eligible for full-time benefits.	Training costs must be "reasonable" as defined by market rates and other criteria.
Cannot receive funding more than two years in a row or three years out of a five-year period.	Must be an employee of the specific company location for which a contract is awarded.	Each training session must be a minimum of 30 minutes in length.
Companies with an employee turnover rate of 25% or more may not be eligible.		Company orientation and on-the-job training are NOT eligible.

Workforce Development Grants to Train Your Employees:
Department of Community & Economic Development   (DCED)

WedNet PA funding is used to reimburse a wide range of employee training. Pennsylvania employers in manufacturing or technology businesses, including biotech & environmental companies, are eligible for workforce job training grants through WedNetPA.   

http://www.wednetpa.com Awards of up to $2000 per employee will be granted annually.    **The primary requirement for the grants is that the training must be a job-skill building for the employee, with a maximum of $100,000 per eligible company will be granted annually.

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Please contact your Kutztown University WEDnet Partner for more information

Angela Hensley 
WEDnet PA Grant Program Partner
Email: hensley@kutztown.edu
Phone: 610-401-3236

America's SBDC / Pennsylvania SBDC / PREP Central / PREP Southeast / Kutztown University / SEPA APEX / SBA / LBRC / Community First Fund

Cooperative Agreement

Pennsylvania Small Business Development Centers are funded in part through a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration, by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania through the Department of Community & Economic Development, through support from Service Center host institutions, and by other sources of state and federal funding. Full disclosures available at pasbdc.org/funding-sources. All services are extended on a non-discriminatory basis to all legal residents and citizens of the US. All opinions, conclusions or recommendations expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the SBA.