Career T.R.A.C.K. offers services free of charge through the use of federal grants designed to provide quality employment and training services to assist eligible residents of Armstrong, Butler, and Indiana Counties. There are several ways you may qualify for our services, but we always encourage you to contact your local office directly to see if you meet eligibility requirements.
The following are some of our general eligibility criteria:
Low-Income Adult
In order to qualify as a low-income adult, your family’s combined income must fall below guidelines set using Federal Poverty and Lower Living Standard Levels. Individuals who are receiving benefits from the County Assistance Office are generally eligible. However, it is not necessary to be receiving these benefits to qualify for our services. Your local Career T.R.A.C.K. office can provide you with current income guidelines.
Dislocated Worker
There are three kinds of dislocated workers.
(1) If you find yourself out of work through no fault of your own and are unlikely to return to a previous occupation, you will most likely qualify as a dislocated worker. This type of job loss usually includes those who have been laid off due to lack of work, workers who are a part of a substantial layoff, or those workers impacted by a complete company closure. If you voluntarily quit your job or were fired, you may still qualify if you have established eligibility for unemployment compensation.
(2) Are you primarily a stay-at-home mom or dad who depends on the income of another family member? If that source of income disappears and you are unemployed or underemployed, then you may be considered a displaced homemaker, which is a form of dislocated worker. The most common type of displaced homemaker we see is the individual who has recently separated and/or divorced.
(3) You may also be a dislocated worker if you were self-employed (i.e. farmer, handyman) but have dissolved your business as a result of general economic conditions.
Young Adult
You may be eligible as a young adult if you are between the ages of 16 and 24 AND your family meets specific income guidelines. Additionally, most of our young adult programs require participants to possess at least one specific “barrier to employment” to be deemed eligible. Qualifying “barriers” include the following:
(1) you have a verifiable disability
(2) you are a high school drop-out in need of a GED
(3) you are homeless, a runaway, or a foster child
(4) you are pregnant or already a parent
(5) you are an offender
(6) your basic math and/or reading skills fall below a 9th grade equivalency
(7) you are in need of additional assistance to complete an education program or to secure and hold employment.