“Am I eligible for W.I.O.A. funding?” The $4,000 you might be missing out on.

Check out that checklist. Ooh, la la!

There might be up to $4,000 reserved for you to help you pay for job training programs.

But it’s really hard to find out about. Like, really, really, hard. That’s why we buckled down and made some easy-to-use checklists that will take away at least some of the guesswork.

The state of Louisiana gets over 100 million dollars from the Federal Government to fund Workforce Development. The act that provides this money is called “W.I.O.A.” Sometimes it is pronounced “wee-OH-AH,” but that phrase has been connected with an offensive term in some communities (I’m sparing the details because I’m uncertain of the specifics here). So, we pronounce the letters when talking about it: “W-I-O-A.”

Don’t feel like reading?

Skip to the bottom to get to our nifty eligibility checklists.

So, what’s all this money for?

The answer is: it’s complicated, but lots of good things. Basically the ingredients to getting a workforce that’s ready for the jobs that are out there - education, counseling, programs, career services, etc. ONE of those things is giving people, ages 14 and higher, money to pay for job training when we’re down and out and struggling to get good employment with the skills we currently have.

The catch? It’s underused! And complicated. Like a lot of good things out there, it remains a secret to many who could benefit from it, even though there are earnest, hard-working people working tirelessly to provide it each day. Information is just tough to come by, sometimes.

That’s where we can help!

Whether it’s barbering or baking, a job training program nearby could be totally free with these W.I.O.A. funds!

Before we jump in, we want to note that if you are not currently authorized to work in the United States, this money is unfortunately not accessible to you. If that applies to you, feel free to drop us a DM on our instagram or live chat us at explore.wherewego.org for judgment-free, anonymous-as-you-like, personalized support and connections to other resources.

Who is it for?

The problem is, these categories are a lot more complicated than these descriptions. That’s why we made… our handy dandy checklists!!

WIOA Adults —> If you are 18 years or older and low-income, you may be eligible for this funding. Download the checklist to find out.

WIOA Dislocated Worker —> If you have been laid off because your workplace has been shut down, or your self-employment, you’re a stay-at-home parent who isn’t financially supported anymore, or your spouse lost employment in the Armed Forces, you may be eligible for this funding. Download the checklist to find out.

WIOA In-School Youth —> If you are 14 to 21 years old, are in a low-income household, and are currently in school, you may be eligible for this funding. Download the checklist to find out.

WIOA Out-of-School Youth —> If you are 16 to 24 years old, are in a low-income household, and are not attending school, you may be eligible for this funding. You guessed it… download the checklist to find out.

So, are you eligible for W.I.O.A. funding?

Our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

DISCLAIMER: We aren’t the Government. We’re educators and career experts. We’ve read the laws and done our research and made pretty brochures, but we can’t guarantee or promise that you will receive funding. Consult your local career center to determine official W.I.O.A. eligibility and to access these services. Use the language on these checklists to help you! If you don’t know how to start or where to go, you can live chat us 10am to 5pm at explore.wherewego.org or email us at support@wherewego.org to get more one on one support. We’re friendly. :)