Are you collecting unemployment compensation and reside in Lake, Orange, Osceola, Seminole or Sumter counties?  If yes, you may qualify for a WORKFORCE CENTRAL FLORIDA (WCF) training scholarship to help you boost your skills and give you an edge in the job market.

WCF, though stimulus funds under the American Recovery & Reinvestment Act, will be broadening its scholarship program and providing approximately 1,400 additional scholarships to Central Florida residents.  Scholarship recipients may choose from more than 300 programs in fields such as business, healthcare, automotive, computer information technology and travel and tourism.  For a complete list of programs, visit WCF’s approved training matrix at www.WorkforceCentralFlorida.com. 

WCF encourages all residents of Lake, Orange, Osceola, Seminole and Sumter counties who are collecting unemployment to apply. Qualifications include someone who:

• Has been terminated (through no fault of your own) or laid off, or has received a notice of termination or layoff from employment;
• Is eligible for or has exhausted unemployment insurance;
• Has demonstrated an appropriate attachment to the workforce, but not eligible for unemployment insurance and unlikely to return to a previous industry or occupation;
• Has been terminated or laid off or received notification of termination or layoff from employment s a result of a permanent closure or substantial layoff;
• Is employed at a facility, where the employer has made the general announcement that the facility will close within a 180 days;
• Was self-employed (including employment as a farmer, a rancher, or a fisherman) but is unemployed as a result of general economic conditions in the community or because of a natural disaster; or
• Is a displaced homemaker who is no longer supported by another family member.
• Other applicants that will be considered include:
  • Those with a low annualized family income
  • People collecting cash welfare benefits or food stamps
  • Workers over age 55
  • Homeless individuals; or,
  • Individuals with a substantial disability.

To determine if you qualify and to apply, watch the webinar at www.WorkforceCentralFlorida.com.  Then complete the online application at the end of the webinar.  After you submit the online application, you will receive an e-mail containing specific instructions on how to complete the remainder of the application and eligibility process.