Delaware County Department of Economic Development
One Courthouse Square, Suite 4
Delhi, NY 13753
Ph. 607-832-5123
News Release
For Immediate Release
CONTACT: Glenn Nealis – Director of Economic Development
(607) 832-5123
DATE: January 14, 2022
County Announces New Train to Work Initiative
DELHI, NEW YORK— Delaware County Department of Economic Development in partnership with CDO Workforce has announced the Train to Work Initiative, which will reimburse Delaware County businesses for hiring and training employees up to $5,000 for each full time employee and $2,500 for part time employees.
The Train to Work Initiative is designed to help businesses in Delaware County with the cost of training new hires. Equally important, it is also designed as a hiring incentive to create more opportunities for Delaware County residents to learn new skills and obtain employment in their own community. The Chairman of the Delaware County Board of Supervisors, Tina Molé, has hopes that this will help local businesses with the current worker shortage.
“Many businesses are having trouble finding workers right now and training new workers can be expensive,” Molé said. “Now, with the Train to Work Initiative, they can hire people who are a good fit but may not have the necessary skills, and then train them on those skills.”
The initiative is designed to help employers find help by spreading their pool of workers into less experienced individuals.
Glenn Nealis, Director of Economic Development said they designed the initiative to be accessible to businesses by minimizing the necessary paperwork.
“We wanted to make this process as simple as possible so the small businesses can access it” Nealis said.
The initiative heavily relies on businesses developing their own training programs to meet the needs of their business. Businesses must submit an application outlining the training that they will provide, prior to hiring for the position. All contracted positions must be expected to provide at least 6 months of continuous employment. Temporary positions will not be considered.
The Train to Work Initiative is being paid for by Delaware County through a portion of its American Rescue Plan Act funds. Wayne Marshfield, Chair of the County’s ARPA committee said “It was a priority of the County to utilize a portion of ARPA funds to invest in the small businesses that drive our economy.
There is no deadline and the Initiative will accept applications until it runs out of funds. If a business is interested, they should contact the Department of Economic Development at ecd@co.delaware.ny.us or 607-832-5123.
