Show Me the MONEY!

Everyone remembers that great line in the "Jerry Maguire" movie. It was when Rod Tidwell asked Jerry to scream that line into the phone to keep him as a client. Now is the time that you need to be Rod Tidwell and ask your state and local government about the training money in the stimulus package. Show me the MONEY! Let me explain.

In the stimulus package, (America Recovery and Reinvestment Act) nearly $4 billion in Department of Labor (DOL) funds will be given to states and local workforce boards to spend on training to "get people back to work". These funds, by law, were to be allocated to states within 30 days of the bill signing; and within 30 days later, they have to be allocated to local workforce investment boards (WIBs). These funds are allocated the same way as previous WIA funds have by mandated funding formulas (many factors go into how much each state and local area gets). Other funds from DOL will be allocated in grants. It hasn't been announced yet how to apply for these grants. Not much change in this appropriation this time.

As part of the appropriation, each state governor can keep 15% of state allocations for "discretionary spending". In some states, this could be a whole bunch of money! Governors are supposed to spend these funds on training, and I would suggest that you call you governor's office and say "Show me the MONEY!" Ask the office what training and development programs they plan to spend it on and offer your help in the planning.

After an additional 10% of these appropriations stays within state governments for "administration" of the WIA program, the balance of the funds will go to local governments (WIBs). An additional 10% of those remaining funds will also stay in local government to "administer" the WIA program locally. After that, the balance of the money will go to training!

This would be a good time to reach out to your local WIB executive director or President and ask them to "Show me the MONEY!" Ask them where and how they will spend their money in training and development, and offer to help!

The best way to get America back to work is to spend this money quickly and appropriately on the skills needed in the workplace today; ASTD members are the BEST to advise the government, at all levels, on how exactly to do that. Good luck!