The Hunter Company has been proudly making high-quality leather products for range riders, border patrol, local government officials, and cowboys across the country in Historic Westminster since 1952. Their products are made by a team of talented craftspeople and require a workforce with specialized qualifications.
In many cases, Hunter Company and many other small specialized businesses receive applications from job seekers, however their qualifications don’t exactly match the needs of the job, and some training may be required. Concerns about the availability of skilled staff have only worsened since the pandemic.
In support of our local businesses, Westminster is launching the City’s first-ever Job Training Incentive Grant (JTIG) program to help defray the costs of training new employees and getting them the necessary skills to do their job. The grant will reimburse small businesses up to $5,000 for the following three types of training costs:
- Custom classroom training at a public educational institution
- Structured on-the-job (OTJ) training
- Or a combination of classroom training and OJT
While JTIG is open to all Westminster businesses, companies that hire trainees who have graduated within the past twelve months from a Westminster high school, local trade school, community college, or hire a high school intern will be eligible for up to $1,250 in additional grant funds.
“This sounds like a very helpful program,” said Matt Wassum, with The Hunter Company in Westminster. “This will allow us to hire more, when we may not have been able to otherwise.”
In order to promote targeted career and technical education pathways and economic resiliency, this program is intended to support our local businesses within the following industry sectors:
- Manufacturing
- Technology and innovation
- Financial services
- Aerospace/defense
- Business support services
To see an overview of the workforce development and training resources available, please view our Workforce Development Matrix.
To view the criteria, eligibility and application process for the Job Training Incentive Grant program, click here. Applications open February 28, 2022.
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