CareerSource Tampa Bay to distribute $21.5 Million to Hillsborough County Job Seekers and Businesses

~Rapid Response Recovery program (R3 ) Kicks Off July 1, 2020~

TAMPA, FL – CareerSource Tampa Bay (CSTB) kicked off the Rapid Response Recovery (R3 ) program that will help Hillsborough County job seekers with occupational skills training and find businesses skilled labor. The R3 program is funded through the Federal Cares Act with funding released by the Hillsborough Board of County Commissioners.

CSTB will be signing up 2,100 Job Seekers to participate in Short-Term and On-the-Job Training. The goal of the Job Seeker program is to help give workers adversely affected by COVID-19 retraining to improve their skills and make them more marketable among key industry sectors in Hillsborough county. Up to 1,000 individuals can take advantage of the Short-Term Training program, training scholarships will provide up to $5,000 educational assistance.

Another 1,100 job seekers will be provided On-the-Job Training.

In order to qualify, job seekers must be a Hillsborough County resident, economically injured due to COVID 19, 18-years of age or older, and must be a U.S. Citizen or authorized to work. Documentation will be required to verify eligibility criteria.

Job Seekers can register at https://careeredgecstb.com/jobseekerapp/?pname=jobseekerapp

There is no cost to HILLSBOROUGH EMPLOYERS participating in the program. Employers can receive a retention incentive and can benefit from trained employees in a targeted occupation. The program will directly pay or reimburse 100-percent of the first $12,000 of employee salary up to the first 90 days.

Eligible businesses must meet the following criteria:

• Eligible positions must meet Florida minimum wage requirements

• Employee worksite location must be in Hillsborough County

• Eligible businesses must be for-profit businesses in Hillsborough County

• In operation for at least one year

• Businesses must have suffered economic impact due to the COVID-19 outbreak

The goal for employers will be to allow CSTB to continue to create a skilled workforce, in the areas of most need, that will give Hillsborough County and the Tampa Bay region a distinct advantage in business retention, expansion and attraction. Employers can participate in the program by clicking on this link: https://careeredgecstb.com/employerapp/?pname=employerapp

More information about the program and the FAQ can be found at CareerSource Tampa Bay’s website located at https://www.careersourcetampabay.com/cares-act

About CareerSource Tampa Bay

CareerSource Tampa Bay programs and initiatives are fully supported by the U.S. Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Agriculture as part of awards totaling $19,293,411.

CareerSource Tampa Bay works with businesses and candidates to leverage their training, retraining, and competitive opportunities in the workforce. CareerSource Tampa Bay provided 240,269 services to 36,960 active Wagner-Peyser individuals during program year 2018- 2019. CareerSource Tampa Bay, with our five career centers is the single largest source of job candidates in the region from entry-level to executive-level candidates.

Businesses can access CareerSource’s wide range of services that include recruiting, training for new and existing employees, targeted hiring events, and retention support strategies. All resources and services are provided at no cost to both businesses and job candidates. Programs funded through CareerSource Tampa Bay are equal opportunity programs with auxiliary aids and services available upon request to individuals with disabilities. Persons using TTY/TTD equipment use Florida Relay Service 711. A proud partner of the American Job Center network to learn more, visit www.CareerSourceTB.com.