Gentile, colleagues celebrate Step-Up success

Program creates 1,200 jobs    

State Rep. Linda M. Gentile, left, at celebration in Hartford

      State Rep. Linda M. Gentile, D-Ansonia, recently joined dozens of other legislators to celebrate the success of the state’s Subsidized Training and Employment Program (Step Up). 
       “I can tell you first hand the Step-Up event held in Ansonia in September was an outstanding success,” Gentile said. “Over 150 Valley businesses attended the free event which is very encouraging.”  
    
    A new report by the state Department of Labor shows since the Step-Up program’s first hire in February of 2012, a total of 1,199 new employees have been hired at nearly 400 companies throughout the state.

     Over half of the employers taking part in the Step Up program hired individuals to fill a new job created specifically as a result of the program incentives and by November, nearly 250 new employees had already completed six months of work and were no longer subsidized.

     “Environmental Management Consultants, a small environmental business and engineering consulting company in Derby has taken advantage of this program,” Gentile said.  “The hope is to continue matching employers with qualified job seekers.”

Training grant incentives

     Step-Up, focused on job creation, was part of the Jobs Bill passed by the legislature in October 2011. 

    The state program, which provides wage subsidy and training grant incentives to small businesses, offers up to $12,000 in wage subsidies during the first six months of a new hire’s employment while the small manufacturing training grant provides up to $12,500 during the same six-month time frame.

     As of Feb. 7, employers across Connecticut have hired 560 unemployed job seekers using the wage subsidy program, and another 639 under the small manufacturer’s training grant.   
      Administered by the state Department of Labor and the Connecticut’s five Workforce Investment Boards, the three Step-Up programs provide a total of $30 million ($10 million for each program) in employer incentives.

This post is taken from a press release from Gentile's office.