On-the-job training (OJT) occurs when a public or private-sector employer hires a Temporary Assistance (TA) recipient. The employer and Missouri Work Assistance (MWA) service provider must enter into a contractual agreement in which the employer provides hands-on training at their place of business.
This core activity for recipients can also be used to meet non-core work participation requirements.
OJT participants are paid at the same rates, including benefits and periodic pay increases, as similar employees or trainees. The pay may not be less than the federal or state minimum wage whichever is higher.
Employers who participate in OJT are reimbursed for up to one-half of the employee’s wage during the period of training by Missouri Work Assistance (MWA) funds or other federal sources due to the extraordinary costs of training and lower productivity of the individual. The Temporary Assistance (TA) recipient is usually placed in an OJT work activity for a period of six months. If the training is extended past six months, MWA funds cannot be used to pay for the training, but the hours engaged in the activity can continue to count toward the recipient’s required work participation hours and must be entered in the MWA System
The employer agrees to retain the OJT participant as an employee at the end of the OJT assignment. OJT is distinguished from other subsidized employment by the inclusion of a training plan and the contractual obligation to hire the individual. The training plan is a formal and written program of the structured job training that provides an orderly combination of instruction in work maturity skills, general employment competencies, and occupationally specific skills that enables the TA recipient to work toward self-sufficiency.
Countable hours for OJT include:
All activities require documentation of the number of hours the Temporary Assistance (TA) recipient was engaged in the activity.
To determine if a recipient is able to participate in a specific on-the-job training (OJT) opportunity, paid assessments including employer-required tests are allowed. These paid assessments are documented through wage stubs, the MWA Assessment Verification form, or the MWA Attendance Log form. The assessment pay is likely recorded with the “regular” pay on the wage stub and should be transparent.
In cases where the employee has not worked long enough or the employer has not provided written documentation, the case manager records the information on the MWA Employment Verification form. An hour of paid assessment is considered an hour worked at the activity. After documentation is obtained, enter the hours under the OJT service on the Participation Hours Verification or the Mass Participation Hours Verification screen in the MWA System. The documentation is placed in the paper file. Enter case notes indicating assessment hours for the activity.
On-the-job training and supportive services are documented through wage stubs or the MWA Attendance Log form.
When the employee has not worked long enough or the employer has not provided written documentation, the Missouri Work Assistance (MWA) case manager must verbally verify the information with the employer and record the information on the MWA Employment Verification form.
Supportive services pay is likely recorded with the “regular” pay and should be transparent.
A paid hour at the worksite is considered an hour worked at the activity. After documentation is obtained, enter the hours under the On-the-Job Training service on the Participation Hours Verification or the Mass Participation Hours Verification screen in the MWA System. The documentation is placed in the paper file.
All on-the-job training (OJT) activity components, with the exception of assessment, allow projection of hours up to six months in the future based on at least one week of documentation. Following are reasons to “reproject” the hours: