Policy Updates

Special Announcement

Important update regarding the Workforce Training Fund Program (WTFP) and its two offerings, the General and Express Programs:

After careful evaluation and consideration, we have adjusted our grantmaking policies, effective with all applications submitted on or after July 10, 2023:

  1. The maximum amount of a General Program grant will decrease from $250,000 to $200,000 per two-year grant award. This is in addition to the re-implementation of the one-year waiting period between General Program grants.
  2. The maximum amount of Express Program reimbursement that a business may receive for approved training courses will decrease from $30,000 to $20,000 per calendar year.
  3. Employers with over 100 Massachusetts employees will no longer be eligible to receive Express Program grants and will be encouraged to submit General Program applications.
  4. Employers are limited to participating in either the Express or General Program at one time.
 
Note: Applications received prior to July 10, 2023, will be considered for previous grant limits ($250,000 / $30,000).
 
These changes are called for due to continued increases in participation in Workforce Training Fund Programs. Without these additional limitations, demand for WTFP grants is forecast to exceed available funds in FY24 (July 2023 – June 2024). The total funding available for grants has increased slightly year-over-year. We expect to award more than $40 Million in training grants during FY24, the most in the WTFP history. But growth in participation in WTFP programs since the Covid-19 pandemic is outpacing available funds. Therefore, to ensure funds are available when needed, and applications can be accepted on a rolling basis throughout the year, the above policies have been adopted.
 
These decisions were not taken lightly. By making these adjustments, we can serve more businesses and train more workers. We value your partnership and appreciate your understanding as we work to navigate these changes together. We are confident that these revised policies will ensure the WTFP’s sustainability in the years ahead.
 
We understand this reduction may raise concerns and questions, and we would like to address them below. 

October 28, 2024: Over the past few years, Commonwealth Corporation has seen unprecedented levels of participation in Workforce Training Fund Programs (WTFP), and as a result, Commonwealth Corporation is implementing policy changes with the goal of extending WTFP grant resources while efficiently serving more businesses.

Additionally, WTFP’s General Program will undergo application updates which will require a scheduled blackout from November 15, 2024, at 5:00 PM to December 3, 2024, when the new General Program application will be released and available.

 

Policy Changes:

Express Program

General Program

Reduction of the Express Program annual maximum from $20,000 to $15,000 per business, per calendar year (January 1-December 31).

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Reduction of the General Program grant maximum from $200,000 to $125,000.

 

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Average cost per trainee in General Program grants shall not exceed $3,000*

 

 

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WTFP Express and General Program investment in training shall not exceed $300 per instructor hour. Businesses are responsible for covering instructional costs beyond this cap.

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Express Program reimbursement rates have been revised according to business size:

  •  100% reimbursement for orgs w/ up to 50 MA employees
  •  50% reimbursement for orgs w/ 51 to 100 MA employees*

 

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*Exclusion permitted for ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages). Please see guidelines for details. 
 
Please carefully review complete guidelines for both Express Program (link) and General Program (link) for more information. 
 
Key Dates:
 

Friday, November 1, 2024:    

  • Effective 5 pm: Express Program policy changes implemented and available.
  • Effective 5 pm: No new users will be granted access to the old General Program application system.
 

Friday, November 15, 2024: 

  • 5 pm deadline for General Program applicants to complete applications using the old application process.
  • General Program Application Blackout begins at 5 pm
 

Tuesday, December 3, 2024: 

  • New General Program application released / blackout ends.  
  • New General Program policy in effect. 
 
Please carefully review complete guidelines for both Express Program (link) and General Program (link) for more information. 
 

Please submit your questions or concerns via this form, and our team will respond as soon as possible.

We value partnering with you to access the benefits of the Workforce Training Fund programs as we remain dedicated to upskilling and strengthening the skills of Massachusetts workers and the competitiveness of businesses across the Commonwealth. 

 
Support for Users
 
Thank you for your patience as we navigate these changes together. The following resources are available to support the Workforce Training Fund user community through changes: 
 
 

Coming soon:

  • A short video about changes/ overview of programs
  • Info Session Event Info
  • Training Provider / Super-User Conference Meeting Info
 

FAQs

The decision to reduce the total amount a business can receive in General Program grants and Express Program reimbursements per calendar year was made to ensure the sustainability and longevity of the Workforce Training Fund. The high demand for Workforce Training Fund grants outstrips the supply of funds available. By reducing award amounts, we can maintain the availability of Workforce Training Fund grant funds to a larger number of eligible Massachusetts businesses while accommodating a surge in requests for grant funding. 

The Workforce Training Fund is experiencing a surge in demand that outstrips the projected supply of funds available. Since July 2023, we began requiring businesses to complete one grant in one program before starting another in the other program. Doing so helps us to ensure that committed grant funds are actively being used by a business while allowing other eligible businesses to apply for and receive new grants. 


Note: This policy change was implemented on July 10, 2023, to new General and Express Program applications.

This means that Effective on July 10, 2023, the Workforce Training Fund made the following changes: 

a. Eligible Massachusetts businesses cannot have a General Program grant in progress and receive a new Express Program grant(s) without first completing training and closing out their active General Program grant. 

b. Eligible Massachusetts businesses cannot have an active Express Program grant(s) in progress and receive a new General Program grant without first completing training and closing out any active Express grants. 

No. The policy change only applies to new Express or General Program applications submitted on or after July 10, 2023. If you have an active grant in both programs issued before July 10, 2023, the award amounts will remain intact until you complete training or close out the contract. 

No. All Express grants approved, and contracts executed before from applications submitted by 11/1/24 at 5 pm, will be honored in full at the amounts stated in their contracts, provided that all program guidelines are followed for the duration of the grant period. 

Yes. If you are a business with between 51 and 100 MA employees and have an active Express service agreement that was applied for and approved before November 1, 2024, at 5pm, then it will be honored up to the amount stipulated in the service agreement, provided that all program guidelines are followed for the duration of the grant period. 

Please keep in mind that businesses that wish to receive more than $15,000 in grant funds (the max amount through the Express Program) are encouraged to apply for the General Program. Eligible businesses can receive up to $125,000 for two-year grants for customized training projects.  

You are eligible to apply for the Express Program if the total number of W-2 employees working in Massachusetts on the exact date that you submit an Express application is at or below 100. Express Program awards up to 100% reimbursement within program guidelines for employers with 1-50 MA W-2 employees at the moment of application, and up to 50% reimbursement within program guidelines for employers with 51-100 MA W-2 employees at the moment of application.

 
As a kind reminder, businesses with over 100 MA employees are encouraged to apply for the General Program. Eligible businesses of any size can receive up to $125,000 for two-year grants for customized training projects. 

The Express Program has added a new subsidy cap of $300 per instructional hour/per course. Our team will calculate the cost per instructional hour by taking the course cost (either a group rate cost or per trainee rate cost, depending on how the course is offered by the training provider) and dividing it by the number of training hours pre-approved and listed on the Express Course Directory for the course. If the cost exceeds $300 per instructional hour, the total award amount will be reduced to fall within our subsidy cap, and your business will be responsible for covering the remaining cost out-of-pocket.

Please note, that this is a subsidy cap of $300 per instructional hour, which means if you are an organization with 51-100 MA payroll employees, the subsidy cap will be calculated off 50% of the course cost (the max reimbursable percentage amount for organizations with 51-100 payroll employees).

Click here to use our Express Subsidy Estimator, which can help you discern how much training cost reimbursement you may be eligible for each approved course, as well as how much training cost your company may need to pay out of pocket. See some calculation examples in action on our Express Program Policy Change (Click here).

Thank you for your ongoing participation in the Workforce Training Fund Program. Our team is available to address any questions regarding these adjustments. We value your partnership and appreciate your understanding as we work to navigate these changes together. We are confident that these revised policies will ensure the WTFP’s sustainability in the years ahead.

Gratefully, 
 
The Workforce Training Fund Team 
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