Businesses Boost Participation in On-the-Job Training Program

The number of businesses participating in the On-the-Job Training program offered by the San Bernardino County Workforce Investment Board is on track to surpass last year’s numbers. The On-the-Job Training program assists workers with finding employment, and reimbursing employers that hire workers who lack experience or training. The program pays up to 50 percent of a new employee’s salary, saving the company money normally spent on training. “A small business is not an institution designed to train employees,” said Greg Hudson, president of Lifetime Solutions, a plumbing, heating and air conditioning contractor located in Victorville. “If I send a new employee out with a skilled technician, the technician will to have to slow down to train the new employee, so productivity may be lost. It’s more cost-effective to recruit employees with experience. At the same time, finding qualified, experienced employees is challenging,” added Hudson. The On-the-Job Training program allowed Lifetime Solutions to hire three inexperienced employees in the past year. Hudson said the Workforce Investment Board allowed him to take a chance on people not as highly-skilled who could become great employees. The program has grown exponentially as more local businesses discover how useful it is. During the most recent program year, ending in July, 259 people were placed into On-the-Job Training; which is an increase from 219 the prior year. “This is the type of practical program our businesses are clamoring for,” said Sandy Harmsen, Executive Director of the San Bernardino County Workforce Investment Board. “The number of participants is up to 90 in the first three months of this fiscal year. So, clearly this is a service that is needed by our businesses." The demand for the program comes from San Bernardino County’s growing industries, which covers a range of transportation, logistics, distribution, manufacturing, construction, healthcare and energy and utilities. The wide variety of positions in these areas offers options for job seekers as they search for work in high-demand fields. “On-the-Job Training represents an opportunity to use our resources to solve specific challenges our businesses face, while providing well-paying positions for our residents,” San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors Chair, Janice Rutherford said. To learn more about how On-the-Job Training can help your business, please call 800-451-JOBS or visit www.csb-win.org.