Subsidized Training & Employment Program

About the Program

Category: Personnel Management, Employment and Training (Best in Category)

Year: 2010

The Subsidized Training and Employment Program (STEP) provides a reimbursement of 130 percent of wages to businesses for a period of six months for hiring and training a California Work Opportunity and Responsibility to Kids (CalWORKs) participant. STEP is a partnership between the San Bernadino County Workforce Development Department and the county’s Transitional Assistance Department. The STEP initiative is a subsidized employment and training wage reimbursement program that requires the employer to provide on-the-job training of STEP participants. Additionally, STEP provides free applicant referral and screening services to provide the most qualified candidates to businesses. The program prepares CalWORKs participants to achieve self-sufficiency and improved quality of life through employment. The program aids in local economic recovery through assisting businesses with the cost of hiring and training new staff and reducing the dependence upon public assistance programs. STEP promotes work and personal responsibility to CalWORKs participants by contributing to self-sufficiency and personal growth. Through STEP, the County of San Bernadino successfully employs and trains participants, increasing family incomes in the county, while assisting businesses with hiring and training costs. The program resulted in a $1.2 million reduction in CalWORKs payments, a $2.4 million increase in the county’s gross income due to CalWORKs employment, while the Workforce Development Department placed 148 participants in fulltime employment between August 1, 2009 and January 31, 2010.