VJIP FAQS

1. Do I qualify for the Virginia Jobs Investment program?
   Eligibility for assistance in any of the programs offered by the Virginia Jobs Investment Program is limited to projects that fall into certain industry sectors, that are creating (or retraining) a certain number of jobs, and that are making a certain level of capital investment.  To see if your company qualifies, please review the Criteria.
   
   
2. What are the benefits to my company to use the Virginia Jobs Investment Program?
   
   Virginia provides a single point of contact (your project manager) to conduct an in-depth recruitment and training needs analysis that results in a detailed start-up plan customized to your company. As a value added service, if needed, the Virginia Jobs Investment Program will travel to locations outside the United States to assist and support the start-up team. The assigned project manager coordinates all services to fulfill the plan.  Below are several examples of services provided at no costs to your company by the Program, sometimes with the assistance of other partners in Virginia’s Workforce Development System:
   
   
   • Development of job descriptions, interview questions, and screening criteria.
   • Marketing of your new jobs locally and regionally
   • Organization of job fairs.
   • Off-site application intake (keeps applicants away from facility construction site)
   • Application pre-screening and space for conducting interviews.
   • Production of a new hire recruitment/orientation DVD (for large-scale projects, development of a recruitment website where applicants can apply on-line)
   • Tracking of Enterprise Zone credits (if any)
   • Development of training curriculum
   •   Establishment of a pre-employment assessment process or event to assess applicants’ technical skills
   • Development of pre-hire and new hire orientation
   • Workplace expectations and continuous process improvement programs that focus on increasing the profits of the business, team work, communication, and quality.
   • Technical and soft skills training for new hires.
   • Funding to off-set recruitment and training costs for net new jobs, including reimbursement for process skills (on-the-job) in-house training.
     
     
3. How would the Retraining Program benefit my company?
• For companies meeting the Criteria for the Retraining Program, we provide:
• Funding to off-set training costs for existing employees involved in operating new equipment and learning new processes.
• Production of an orientation; safety; or training DVD.
• Free workshops for employees on topics such as workplace expectations; train-the-trainer; Meyers-Briggs; customer service; process improvement and other customized soft skills programs.
  
  
4. What is the process for accessing the program?
   • A VJIP project manager will meet with your company, provide an overview of the program, pre-qualify the project, and assist with completion of the application. The application is a two-page document which can be submitted by email to your project manager.  Once the application is submitted and reviewed by VJIP’s Director, a project manager, in conjunction with company personnel, will conduct a recruitment and training needs analysis. An outcome of this analysis will be the development of a customized recruitment and training plan. An actual project budget will be developed based on the numbers of jobs involved and estimated cost to implement the recruitment and training plan.
     
     
5. How do we get the funds?
   • Once the project budget is developed, your company will receive official notification of the approved funding amount on a per job basis. Once you have hired the minimum number of net new hires as listed in the Criteria, you may submit a simple electronic invoice by email to your project manager. Employees listed on the Reimbursement Request Form must have been on your payroll for at least ninety (90) days.  After the Form is received, you will receive a check in about two weeks.  This is a cash reimbursement to your company.
     
     
6. Who conducts the training?
   • Based on the training analysis and plan developed by your project manager and company personnel, instructors are identified. These may include instructors from the local community college, technical school, private sector providers, four-year educational institutions, or your own subject matter experts. In-house training is also allowed and funded by the program.
     
     
7. Do you reimburse for attrition?
   • No -- only net new jobs are eligible for reimbursement. The company's current employment levels are submitted on the application when the project first begins, as well as on every reimbursement request that is submitted. This figure ensures that the company is only reimbursed for levels above the beginning employment plus jobs reimbursed to date.
     
     
8. Does the program cover employee wages during their training?
   • No – the program covers up-front recruiting and training expenses but not trainee wages