Eligible Training Types for California Training Benefits

WIOA is a federal program that provides access to employment, education, training, and support services. It matches employers with skilled employees.

• You must visit an America’s Job Center of California (AJCC) for a training assessment. Once complete, a career planner will guide you in choosing the best training for your needs.
• Your training representative must fax and submit a Training Enrollment Verification (DE 3422D) form to the EDD when you begin attending WIOA funded or sponsored training.

For details, see Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act.

ETP provides funds to employers to upgrade the skills of their employees. This program leads workers to well-paying, long-term jobs through proper training opportunities.

Your training must be sponsored by one of the following groups:

• Employers who pay into the Employer Training Tax fund.
• Single employers who pay UI tax.
• A group of employers including the Chamber of Commerce, Joint Apprenticeship Training Committees, Trade Associations, or Economic Development Corporations.

TAA is a federal program that helps US workers who lost their jobs due to foreign trade. The program provides:

• Workforce skills.
• Career counseling.
• Job searches.
• Relocation allowances.
• Potential income support for workers in training programs.
• Wage supplements for older workers.

For details, see Trade Adjustment Assistance Fact Sheet (DE 8714X) (PDF).

1. To be eligible for TAA, a petition must be filed on your behalf with the Department of Labor by one of the following groups:
   • Employers.
   • A group of three or more workers.
   • A union or employee representative.
   • An AJCC representative.
2. After a petition has been filed, you will receive a TAA package with the following materials:
   • Instructions to File a TAA Application (DE 8396)
   • Application for Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) (DE 8309)
   • Getting Back to Work After A Trade-Related Layoff pamphlet (DE 8392A)
   • Addressed envelope to the EDD Special Claims Office.
3. You must submit an Application for Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) (DE 8309).
   • After you send in your application, we will let you know if you qualify and will send you instructions by mail to complete the process. Then, make an appointment for a training plan assessment with a TAA specialist at an AJCC to go over your training needs.

The CalWORKs WTW program gives monthly help for job training to families who have children living at home and are in financial need. This program is run by the Department of Social Services and is available to California residents who qualify.

You must be enrolled in the CalWORKs WTW program and enrolled in school or training. Eligibility is based on citizenship, age, income, assets, resources, and more. For more information, visit CalWORKs.

The ETPL is a list of training providers that are approved by the state and meet WIOA rules. This list gives adults and workers who lost their jobs access to training programs, including education and apprenticeships. People who join a training program offered by an ETPL provider may qualify for CTB benefits. To be eligible for CTB, both the training program and training provider must be listed on the ETPL. The EDD will verify all relevant information.

For details, see:

• Eligible Training Provider List
• CalJOBS (provides the ETPL list with approved training providers)

Teachers who are unemployed from a public school and who are trying to get another credential to find a new job can qualify. The EDD does not cover the cost for teachers to earn or receive credentials.

You must meet all of the following eligibility criteria:

• Attend a program to earn a single-subject teaching credential in math, science, or special education for grades K-12.
• You must have been permanently laid off from a teaching job with a public school within three years before starting the credential program.
  • A permanent layoff means you got a notice saying your services are no longer needed.
• You need to be enrolled in an approved credential program that is listed by the California Commission on Teaching Credentialing (CCTC).

Journey level union members who participate in industry-related school or training programs may be eligible. The training must be sponsored and funded by one of the following:

• Union trade association through a Joint Apprenticeship Committee (JAC) or Joint Apprenticeship Training Committee (JATC).
• Non-union trade association through a JAC or JATC.

Journey level trade association members (union and non-union) who participate in industry-related school or training programs may be eligible. The training must be sponsored and funded by one of the following:

• A trade association
• A union
• Joint Apprenticeship Committee
• Joint Apprenticeship Training Committee

Journey level members seeking upgraded certifications often return to the apprenticeship programs under their respective JAC or JATC.

You must be a journey level member of a trade association. We will verify with the association that you are a journey level member and authorized to attend the training.

• If you’re in a state and federal approved long-term apprenticeship training, you can still qualify for UI benefits while training. These apprenticeship training programs last between one and six years.
• Eligible training programs must be registered with the  California Department of Industrial Relations, Division of Apprenticeship Standards to be potentially eligible.
• You must be a registered apprentice. We will verify your apprenticeship status and the authorization of your training.

ERST allows you to attend industry-related training to upgrade your skills. Training must be funded by your employer.

Training must be funded and sponsored by the employer and verified by the EDD. The training must upgrade your skills to one of the following:

• Meet industry demands.
• Meet changes in technology.
• Retain employment.

If you are not enrolled in any of the state, federal, or employer-sponsored programs, or other approved categories described on this page, you can arrange and fund your own training. This is known as self-arranged training.

To be eligible for self-arranged training, you must meet all of the following requirements:

• You must be unemployed or partially employed for four or more continuous weeks, or you are unlikely to go back to your last job for one of these reasons:
  • Your job was cut because the company closed.
  • Many jobs were lost at your last workplace.
  • There were advancements in technology.
  • Your employer moved their business to another area.
  • A mental or physical disability makes it hard for you to use your current job skills.
• You are unemployed because there aren’t enough jobs for your skills in California (like during recessions or seasonal work). The EDD checks Labor Market Information to see how much demand there is for your current skills, the skills you want to train for, and other jobs in California.
• There is a growing need in California for the job you are training for. When federal extended benefits are in effect in California, certain prerequisite or remedial training is included.
• Your training is at an accredited training facility and can be finished in 24 months or less (or 48 months or less when federal extended benefits are in effect in California).
• Your training can be successfully completed, even if your unemployment benefits don’t cover the entire training period.
• Your training is full-time (usually at least 20 hours a week or 12 units per quarter or semester).
• You have not been approved for CTB in the last three years.