Free IT training for California workers

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Program Details

Employment Training Panel (ETP) has been funding training for California workers since its inception in 1983 and Texcellent has been delivering free, state funded IT Training since 2017. After two years of providing State-funded IT Training as a subcontractor, in order to better serve our students, Texcellent has entered into a direct contract with the State of California’s Employment Training Panel. This change has required Texcellent to become a Vocational School licensed by the State’s Bureau for Private Postsecondary Education (BPPE). Our commitment to bring you high quality, state-funded IT Training, which we have delivered since 2017, remains unchanged.

No “Fine Print” Guarantee

Texcellent does not believe in Fine Print. The entire program has been described in detail on this page. Please read and decide for yourself if you want to take advantage of this wonderful opportunity.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is it free? Where is the money coming from?

Funding for this training is provided by State of California’s Employment Training Panel (www.etp.ca.gov). California employers pay $7.00 as Employment Training Tax for each employee on an annual basis. California employers have been paying this tax since 1983, the year ETP was formed! ETP uses these funds to provide training to California employees who need to upgrade their skills. As you can see, your company already paid for this training by paying the annual Employment Training Tax for each employee. This is one of the rare occasions when you see a direct and value-added return on taxes paid.

Why is the State of California doing this?

The State wants California companies to grow and be competitive. California does not want to lose jobs and businesses to other states. When employees improve their skills, their jobs become more secure and wages increase. With higher wages, workers put more money into the State economy as well as pay higher state income taxes.

How does Texcellent benefit from this?

Texcellent is a for profit company. We get reimbursed for the training we provide to California based employees under this program.

How many employees can a company send for the Free Training?

Since California employers pay the annual Employment Training Tax (ETT) for each employee, all employees meeting the eligibility requirements below are entitled to free training. There is no limit to the number of employees a company may send.

Is there a catch to this? Is there a hidden agenda?

Of course there is! The State of California would like to see you stay employed so you keep paying income taxes versus having to pay you unemployment benefits. There are no surprises or hidden fees. If you choose to take advantage of this program, you will join the more than 2,000 companies who have received free training since 2003. If you choose to pass on this opportunity, you will:

a. continue paying into this fund every year
b. pay for your competitors to get free training and
c. not getting anything in return.

So, the question you have to ask yourself is whether you want to receive Free IT Training in return for the taxes you pay every year.

If the training is free, how good can the quality be?

Texcellent’s hires top notch instructors with certifications and years of teaching experience. We’ll be happy to give you past students references as well as a demo Login ID for you to sit in a live class to verify the quality. We guarantee you will not have a bad experience just because the training is free.

Is the schedule convenient for working professionals?

To make it convenient for students, classes are conducted on weekday evenings. The classes meet two nights a week for five weeks. Classes are already underway and new ones are forming. Call early to reserve your place! For the latest schedule, click here or call 949-424-3179 to enroll.

Enrollment process:

– Employer identifies employees that need training in the courses offered.

– Employer provides its California Tax ID Number, also known as the California Employer Account Number (CEAN) to confirm program eligibility. The CEAN number is listed in Box 15, on the bottom left of the employee’s W-2 form. It is either a seven or eight digit number.

– Texcellent assists the employer to fill out the Certification Form (100E form). The employer faxes or emails it back.

– The employees fill out all the forms on the Forms page, fax their pay stubs (as proof of employment and wages) and attend the training.

– The employees complete their training and resubmit pay stubs ninety days after training ends (called the ‘retention period’) as proof of continued employment and wages.

 

In order to confirm your company’s eligibility, Texcellent employees will ask you for the California Tax ID. If you would like to verify the legitimacy of this program before you give out any information, please call ETP at 619-881-1777

Eligibility requirements for employers and employees:

Employers must be either manufacturers or service companies that face out of state competition. Additionally, employers need to make in-kind contribution towards their employees’ training. Employers need to meet this requirement by paying wages during training. For hourly workers, employers must pay wages for the hours in training or give equal hours of time off per week. Beyond the wages paid during training, ETP gives employers the following options to meet the in-kind contribution requirement: contributing equipment/supplies (books, computers)/space etc. for training and/or contributing time to coordinate training.

Employees must meet the following conditions:

  1. Work full-time (at least 35 hours per week)
  2. Be on regular company payroll with Federal and State taxes deducted (no 1099 contractors)
  3. Must receive a W2 (Annual wage and tax report) from the company.
  4. Pay rate at, or higher than, the stipulated minimum wage of $18.22/hour or $36,440 annually.
  5. Complete the required hours for each course.
  6. Trainees can take maximum of five courses at a time.

Leveraging the Internet to bring live classroom to your desktop!

Texcellent Instructor-led On-line classes are designed to use the latest technologies to deliver a highly interactive learning experience. The teacher and students assemble in a Virtual Classroom wherein the students see the teacher’s screen and interact with the teacher to ask questions. Here’s how it works:

  • Teacher explains a new concept.
  • Teacher does a demonstration.
  • Students talk to the teacher and ask questions.
  • Students do lab exercises.
  • Teacher reviews solution.

During exercises, the teacher is able to see the student’s computer to provide one-on-one assistance to help debug a problem or work through a solution. Additionally, upon the student’s request, the teacher can visit the student’s desk top via remote control and solve the problem. Students use their own computers and Internet connection to attend the class. Students do not need to purchase the online classroom software. For doing the hands-on labs, students download Texcellent provided Virtual Machines or download software directly from vendor sites.

The biggest benefit is convenience. You don’t have to travel to the classroom. The classroom comes to you!

Procedure to make-up missed class:

ETP funds your training based on your commitment to deliver 100% attendance and make up any missed sessions. To make up the missed class hours, trainees need to do the following:

a. Go to the link your instructor gave you and download the class material. Contact Texcellent if you need the address of the download site.

b. Download the lessons (PDFs, Powerpoint slides etc.) and any corresponding lab exercises assigned by your instructor and complete the lab exercises.

c. Attend class sessions for the number of hours you have missed. Contact your Texcellent representative to get the Login ID for your make-up class. Your Texcellent representative will provide you the Login Instructions to the classroom that has space in it for you to do the make-up session. Note that you may not find the exact class session you missed, since make-up classes are given on a space available basis.

Disclaimers

Not all companies may qualify to benefit from the program. Check with us to see if your company qualifies. Employers may need to purchase text books and headsets for an optimal learning experience.

Texcellent may postpone or cancel classes depending on ETP approval, enrollment levels and instructor availability. Texcellent will not incur any liability whatsoever when classes are postponed or canceled. We will do our best to inform students as early as possible should that happen.

ETP allocates funding on a periodic basis, based on prior commitment from employers and trainees. To avoid funding and schedule disruptions, once trainees make a commitment to attend an upcoming class, they are not allowed to make changes to their schedule.

Eligible California employers paying the Employment Training Taxes can participate in the training. The ETP program is a workforce development program aimed at improving skill levels of California workers. Therefore, workers participating in the training may have different skill levels.