Deadlines & Submittal
Q: When is the Company Application Due?
A: The company application (company profile and Schedules A & B) can be submitted any time. They can be emailed to etip@ima-net.org.
Q: What is the deadline for the first Reimbursement Report?
A: Once we have a fully executed grant agreement we will know the reimbursement schedule.
Q: How are documents submitted?
A: All documentation should be submitted electronically either via email (etip@ima-net.org) or via secure Dropbox link (once requested)
Eligibility & Required Documents
Q: We have a course that started in one quarter and ended in another. Which quarter should we submit the information in?
A: Any courses that start during one quarter and end in another should be submitted in the quarter in which the course ends. The only exception to this would be if a course starts in quarter 4 (training conducted April 1-June 30, 2023) and ends after the grant period (after June 30, 2023), in which case the course would need to be prorated for only the time that is taken during the grant period.
Q: What type of attendance or proof of participation records are permissible?
A: Any type of attendance record or certificate of completion is acceptable. If training was conducted online, most e-learning systems provide a record of completion. If training was conducted in a live setting, a completed company attendance list is acceptable.
Q: My company has multiple locations in Illinois. Does each location need to be submitted separately?
A: Yes, companies with multiple locations in Illinois need to be submitted separately. Also, if several companies fall under one parent organization, each company with a unique FEIN needs to be submitted separately, regardless of location.
Q: How are wages calculated for Internal Trainers?
A: The wages for Internal Trainers can be submitted for reimbursement, only for the actual instruction time. This does not include fringe benefits, nor time to develop a training course.
Eligible Trainings
Q: Is Anti-Harassment Training eligible for reimbursement?
A: We are not accepting the state’s mandated Anti-Harassment training as an eligible expense. However, if you are an IMA member, we can give you the session and all supporting documentation free of charge. You can contact Terri Graham at tgraham@ima-net.org for the approved training materials.
Q: Is this grant just for safety training or any manufacturing job training?
A: No most trainings conduct within your facility could qualify. See the list of examples of covered trainings.
Q: Should the courses be ONLY about hard skills?
A: Yes.
Q: Does the training have to occur in Illinois or can it be out of state training through a 3rd party?
A: The training can occur out of state as long as the employee is an Illinois based employee. Only the cost of the training is eligible for reimbursement, travel expenses are NOT covered.
Q: Does the grant cover the cost for training material like training manuals?
A: Yes – training materials like manuals, workbooks, etc. are reimbursable expenses.
Q: Are courses taken on Alchemy covered?
A: Yes Alchemy courses are approved courses.
Q: Are language classes covered i.e., ESL?
A: Yes, ESL is covered under the grant. Other language courses could be covered as long as it is required for their job.
Q: Does the grant include remote employees in other locations that are based/paid out of an IL location? US and otherwise?
A: The agreement allows for training of employees from outside of Illinois if they are based at a facility located in Illinois. Should an onsite monitoring audit occur the company would need provide sufficient payroll records that would validate the claim.
Q: You stated that one-on-one/on the job training for a new hire is not covered…what about if we hired 4 or 5 employees at one time and did their training together? Some of it being in a classroom and some in the plant. I know the classroom portion is covered, what about on the plant floor?
A: One on One on the job trainer and or training is not typically allowed unless a structured training outline is submitted and approved. The training outline should clearly identify predetermined training objectives and tracking trainee progress thru testing or other specified training objective results. The internal employee “trainer time” should only be reimbursed for time directly engaged with trainee delivering training objective and testing/results.
Q: Can Lunch & Learns on 401K and Excel be eligible for reimbursement? And on-the-job training with more than one employee involved?
A: Training on Employee Benefit Program topics is not eligible for grant participation. Other job-related training topics can be allowed if it is structured and provided by qualified training instructors.
Q: Are Microsoft classes on LinkedIn covered?
A: If these are one-time fee/tuition based invoice for the individual courses then it would most likely be eligible. However, if they are purchasing a suite/ or library of courses and employees can take at their leisure then it becomes more complicated. Grant can pay only the portion of courses for which employees participated.
Q: Are online courses from colleges eligible?
A: Yes these courses would be eligible if the criteria as outlined is achieved.
Q: Is training for an employee that has been promoted to supervisor covered? How to transition from employee to supervisor?
A: It could be covered but would need additional information on the training itself.
