Workforce Investment Act (WIA) Guidelines
Download a PDF of the WIA GuidelinesThe Workforce Investment Act (WIA)
What is the Workforce Investment Act (WIA)?
The Workforce Investment Act (WIA) is a federally funded plan that grants money to help citizens who are collecting unemployment or have been displaced from their gainful careers for specific economic reasons. According to the United States Department of Labor, the WIA was created “to consolidate, coordinate, and improve employment, training, literacy and vocational rehabilitation programs in the United States.”
The WIA has many guidelines as to who is eligible to receive benefits, and some of these guidelines may change depending on the state and county in which you reside. Information for Colorado and Wyoming residents can be found below.
Please note that The Fort Collins Digital Workshop (FCDW) is eligible to train Colorado and Wyoming residents under the WIA program. If you think you are eligible for WIA funding, please read through the following material to get a broad sense of the WIA program, then call FCDW at (970) 980-8091. We are more than happy to assist you!
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: I am unemployed and I live in Northern Colorado or Wyoming. How can I benefit from the WIA?
A: Once you are approved through the appropriate WIA program in your county and state, you will have access to funding for education and training. In addition, there are numerous WIA workshops, seminars, and partnerships that will help you get back into the workforce.
Q: Is the WIA funding a statewide program or a countywide program?
A: The WIA is available to every state, but administered at the county level. You will need to contact your county of residence to get started and see if you qualify for training funds. The process for each county may vary; in other words, the process of Larimer County is different than the process in Weld County.
Q: Can I get funding from the WIA to take courses at the Fort Collins Digital Workshop (FCDW)?
A: Yes! All classes at FCDW have been approved for WIA funding in both Colorado and Wyoming.
Q: How do I get started?
A: The process of approval for a government program can sometimes be tricky, but the Fort Collins Digital Workshop is here to help you along the way. Let’s begin!
Workforce Investment Act: Getting Started (Colorado)
Every state and county handles the process of distributing WIA funds differently. The following are guidelines for Larimer County, Colorado. On the following pages, there are useful links to other state and county offices.
The first steps a prospective student seeking WIA funding in Larimer County, Colorado needs to do are as follows:
- You must qualify under the CDLE (State of Colorado) rules and have a Connecting Colorado account whether you is collecting unemployment insurance or not. Their website is http://www.connectingcolorado.com/
- Next, you need to become a county Workforce Center client. You must meet the minimum eligibility requirements to be accepted as a Workforce Center client. To learn what these requirements are, you can visit the Larimer County Workforce center’s web page, http://larimerworkforce.org/training-opportunities/career-transition-program/.This website lists the Larimer County services and priorities for training. You must also register for attendance at a mandatory Workforce information session, and review the criteria which must be met for services and information on this session’s registration.
- In Colorado, each county’s Workforce Center determines the services which they will provide and the process a customer will need to complete; that is, Weld County may do things differently than Larimer County.
Once the information session and registration is completed, there are additional steps in the process:
- Workforce Center staff determines eligibility and collect the required documentation.
- Student will meet with a Career Counselor to evaluate the customer’s current employability.
- Potential careers are identified through a variety of vocational assessments.
- Evaluation of whether the customer is a candidate for retraining.
- Development of a re-employment plan.
Now, you are on your way! What’s the next step towards taking WIA-approved courses at FCDW?
- Once a Workforce client is determined ready for training, the Workforce Center counselor will work with the client to complete the scholarship application for available courses at FCDW.
- Approval for training is reviewed on a case-by-case basis.
- Up to two (2) years of job specific skill training may be supported.
- A client must complete a minimum of three (3) informational interviews with industry specific employers.
Some important notes for a Workforce Center client to consider are that all WIA training must be pre-approved. The Workforce Center will not make any training reimbursements. Training is not an entitlement so tuition assistance is not guaranteed and WIA funds are limited.
We hope these guidelines help you get started with your re-entry into the workforce. The Fort Collins Digital Workshop is committed to helping you throughout this entire process, so please contact us anytime with questions regarding our available training programs. For questions on the WIA process or Workforce programs, please visit their aforementioned website or call them directly.
Other Useful Links
Important Contact Information
The Fort Collins Digital Workshop
412 S. Howes St. Suite A1
Fort Collins, CO 80521
(970) 980-8091
Email: info@fcdigitalworkshop.com
Hours: 8-5 M-F
Larimer County Workforce Center
200 W. Oak Street, Suite 5000
Fort Collins, Colorado 80521
(970) 498-6600
Fax: (970) 498-6670
Email: lcwc@larimer.org
Hours: 8-5 M-F
Weld County Workforce Center
1150 “O” ST
Greeley, CO 80631
(970) 356-4000
Email: contactweld@co.weld.co.us
Hours: 8-5 M-F
Cheyenne Employment Services
1510 E. Pershing Blvd.
Cheyenne, WY 82002
(307) 777-3704
Fax: 307-777-5870
Laramie Employment Services
112 S. 5th St.
Laramie, WY 82070
(307) 742-2153
Fax: 307-742-4464
The Fort Collins Digital Workshop Certification Programs – approved for WIA funding
All Certification programs offered by the FCDW are approved for WIA funding. You may also be eligible for training funding for any of our courses or able to create a custom training package based on your needs. Approval is based on a case-by-case basis and you should contact your Workforce center counselor for more details.
Download a PDF of the WIA Guidelines
