One year ago, I shared news that the Amherst Chamber of Commerce would be administering On-the-Job (OJT) Training Grants funded by the New York State Department of Labor. The Chamber has always encouraged businesses to invest in their employees, and this program put real dollars behind that belief. With the application process now closed and all funds allocated, I want to celebrate what we have accomplished together so far.
The response exceeded every expectation. Over the course of the year, the Chamber received several hundred applications, and our internal staff worked one-on-one with every applicant to fully understand their training plan before presenting it to a scoring committee for review. In the end, we awarded grants to nearly 100 businesses across our eight-county region, and more than 1,000 employees have been upskilled or are in the process of being upskilled. This grant was not exclusive to Chamber members, and we worked with businesses from Allegany to Wyoming County and everywhere in between.
The grants were reimbursement-based, covering up to 50% of eligible training costs and 50% of wages during training, with awards from $1,000 to $10,000 per application. The focus was on mid-tier employees in the roles that drive business advancement. The range of businesses served was remarkable, spanning manufacturing, construction, utilities, healthcare, financial and professional services, real estate, restaurants, retail, and nonprofits. The training was just as varied, ranging from blueprint reading and technician certifications to leadership development, Mental Health First Aid, AI skills, and clinical certifications.
These investments help employers retain promotable talent, attract top candidates in a tight labor market, and boost morale, while employees gain the skills to grow into new roles. Each business developed its own training program, and our team worked alongside them to ensure it met eligibility requirements and kept decisions moving quickly. Many trainings are still underway, and our team continues to support each business through completion and reimbursement, ensuring every approved organization receives what it earned and follows through on its training.
I want to thank the New York State Department of Labor for entrusting the Chamber with this program, and every business owner who took the time to apply, plan, and follow through on training their people. Programs like this succeed only when the business community shows up, and Western New York showed up in a big way.
While applications for this round are closed, the Chamber is always looking for opportunities to support the business community, and our goal is to keep finding new ways to assist the companies and organizations that make Western New York work. The OJT Grants are one example; another was our work with Erie County on the SHOP716 program, ensuring that retail dollars spent stayed in Western New York. We will be the first to let you know should any funding that supports our community return. In the meantime, if you have questions about reimbursement or want to talk through other ways to invest in your team, please visit amherst.org/grants, and please remember my door is always open.
