State STEPS UP for Small Businesses
Forty-five small businesses in Connecticut have begun participating in a new state program designed to promote job creation by providing incentives to employers that hire unemployed jobseekers.
Created by last October’s bipartisan jobs bill, the Subsidized Training & Employment Program (STEP UP) provides two types of hiring incentives – a scaled, six-month wage subsidy and a small manufacturer training grant that provides up to $12,500 over a six-month period.
Qualified participants are typically residents who may have some of the necessary job qualifications but who still require on-the-job training to meet the needs of the company.
To date, 65 new employees have been hired at the 45 businesses currently taking part in the program. An additional 135 residents are in the process of being hired.
To be eligible for either program, acompany must employ fewerthan 50 people and training must be provided at the business site. The new employee must be an unemployed jobseeker, and those hired under the wage subsidy program must meet certain income requirements and reside in specific municipalities, based on population or unemployment rates.
Small businesses and unemployed jobseekers who want additional information on the STEP UP program should visit the Connecticut Department of Labor’s website to download a fact sheet, contact information and inquiry forms.
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