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Federally Funded Certification Support
$$$ PMP $$$ CQA $$$ CQM $$$ MS Project (MOUS & IIL)
$$$ MSCE $$$ others $$$
by Jeanette Bordelon, PMP (PMI Midwest Chapter - VP Programs
and successful negotiator of WIA process)
In an effort to support those who are impacted by the
recent economic downturn, a recent federally funded support
program was established - Workers Investment Act (WIA).
For Illinois, this program provides funding (up to $5,000)
for certification education, materials and testing. Certifications
must be related to workers current profession.
The process isn't quick and there is no automatic acceptance
into the program. (I am detailing my experience, but each
Employment Security Office may have a slight twist.) Total
calendar time may be 1-2 months pre-voucher.
1.) Orientation - This is a half-day to full-day presentation
on what programs are available for you. WIA may or may
not be mentioned in this session. You need to express
your interest in this program. You will be assigned a
Training Support Counselor and given an appointment.
2.) WIA application - You will complete this application
with your Training Support Counselor. Your qualification
for this program will be verified at this point. You can
review the printouts at your location for available training
programs and vendors. (If you don't see a program you
are interested in - or any of these mentioned in this
article, you can contact the vendor and request for them
to initiate a WIA application for WIA educational vendor
approval. If you feel the need to follow this process,
I would be glad to talk with you about my experiences.)
You will probably be required to take from 2 - 5 days
of additional training given at the Employment Office
location. You will then be assigned an Employment Counselor
and given an appointment, after all training is completed.
3.) Employment Counselor Support - This person will work
with you to review your resume and help in your job search.
You will need to work with your counselor for a period
of 3-4 weeks. If you are still unemployed at that time,
you can then submit a proposal for certification training
funding. A formal statement will be required from your
Employment Counselor to the Training Support Counselor
to be included in the WIA funding request.
4.) Certification Training Process - It is at this point
that you need to decide which certification(s) you want.
Remember that you will only be allowed to get funding
from one source. Three additional vendors and certifications
have recently been approved that directly support our
profession:
-American Society for Quality (ASQ)
Certified Quality Manager (CQM) and Certified Quality
Auditor (CQA)
Contact: Ann Benjamin, The American Society for Quality,
600 N.
Plankinton Ave., Milwaukee, WI 53201-3005, Phone (800)
248-1946 ext. 7518,
Fax (414) 765-8664, www.asq.org, ABenjamin@asq.org
-International Institute for Learning (IIL)
PMP preparation and MS Project Orange/Blue/Black Belt
(IIL) certification
Contact: Scott McCann, International Institute for Learning,
World Headquarters, 110 East 59th Street, New York, NY
10022-1380, Phone 800-325-1533 ext 5119, Fax (212)755-0777,
scott.mccann@iil.com, www.iil.com
-Advanced Data Concepts (ADC)
PMP Certification preparation, MCSE, and (future - MS
Project (MOUS)) certification
Contact: Alice L. Lanton, Advanced Data Concepts, Inc.,
819 S.
Wabash, Chicago, Il 60605-2184, Phone: (312) 542-1554,
lanton@adccorp.com,
www.adccorp.com
A formal proposal for you must be sent from the WIA approved
vendor/certification to your Employment Office - Training
Support Counselor. After final review and approval, it
will then be forwarded for processing. You will then be
issued a training voucher which you must sign and use
to register (send to vendor) for the course(s). It will
be up to the education provider to collect on the voucher.
The rest is up to YOU!!
GOOD LUCK!!
Jeanette Bordelon, PMP
programs@pmi-midwest.org
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