The Chamber interacts with its fair share of companies interested in relocating to the Houston area, both domestic and international. When evaluating the area, they look at the financial picture, building and land inventory, and then they always ask about the availability and skills of the workforce.
Having a qualified and skilled workforce is key to any business success. Lone Star College and the Texas Workforce Commission have partnered up to offer the Skills for Small Business Program. This grant program provides free funding to small businesses to assist with their training needs. It is available for ongoing education, certification, and non-published courses. Qualifying businesses must be privately owned and have up to 99 employees. Approved businesses will receive $2,000 per participating new employee or $1,000 each for existing employees, both for a 12-month period.
It is well known that owners and employees of small businesses wear many hats, and therefore, by nature, are generalists not specialists. Yet, to get the job done one bumbles through specialized oriented tasks. For instance, the employee who is responsible for processing orders and handling shipping, might also be doing the bookkeeping. While one can bang around in Quickbooks to get the bills paid, it is not always in the most consistent or time efficient manner. This grant program is an opportunity to get that employee trained properly on Quickbooks so that there is higher level of assurance the books are in proper order, and the employee is more productive.
If you’re a small business owner, it is worth your time to give this program a look and see if you can economically upskill your employees for little to no cost. For more information, contact Rani Ramrakhiani at the Lone Star College Economic Development Alliance at
832-813-6254 or LSC-EDA@LoneStar.edu. You can also get more information by going to the Houston Northwest Chamber of Commerce website at https://www.houstonnwchamber.org/ and click on Small Business Training Grant under the Resources tab.