A California program known as the Employee Training Panel (ETP) has provided well over $1 billion to help offset the costs of training more than 800,000 employees at more than 78,000 companies since its inception in 1982. The ETP is a business-supported state agency funded by California’s employment training tax, which is paid by all California employers. The ETP uses those funds to reimburse employers and training organizations for costs incurred by training programs. The ETP prioritizes organizations that are threatened by outsourcing, as well as small businesses. The program is viewed as essential for small employers who do not have the resources to adequately train their employees without assistance. The program’s new executive director, Stewart Knox, says ETP has approximately $40 million left to spend by June 2015, opening the door to many more California companies.