Workforce Training Fund Streamlines Grant Process

The Massachusetts Workforce Training Fund Program (WTFP) today announced four policy changes that will streamline the grant process and make thousands of additional employers eligible for the Express Grant program.

WTFP officials said the fund’s advisory board voted recently to cut in half the two-year waiting period for companies that receive a grant and wish to apply for a subsequent award. The board also made companies with between 50-100 employees eligible for Express Grants; eliminated the waiting period between General Program grants and Express Program grants; and increased the allowable grant period for Technical Assistance grants from six months to 12 months.

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Universities, hospitals, and defense contractors are delaying hiring and expansion — and in some cases laying off workers — because Congress postponed spending decisions in the deal to avoid the fiscal cliff, leaving the future uncertain for these critical sectors of the Massachusetts economy.

Congress’s eleventh-hour compromise last week settled tax questions for most Americans, but lawmakers postponed for two months the contentious issues of how and where to reduce federal spending. That leaves scores of Massachusetts institutions and businesses in limbo, unsure of whether they can count on government contracts and grants that support their operations.

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Published Friday, November 30, 2012

A national survey of 2,000 adults reveals that being active in a local chamber of commerce is an effective business strategy because two-thirds of consumers believe that such companies use good business practices, are reputable, care about their customers, and are involved in the community.

The study, conducted by The Schapiro Group, an Atlanta-based strategic consulting firm, found consumer perceptions of chamber members to be positive in many ways:
 
When consumers know that a small business is a member of the chamber of commerce, they are 49% more likely to think favorably of it and 80% more likely to purchase goods or services from the company in the future.

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