Free Computer Training

AcademyX is offering a new and exciting training opportunity funded by the State of California. With this program you can learn new skills in intermediate and advanced Microsoft Office topics, Adobe applications and advanced web technologies, for FREE. We receive compensation from the State of California for the training we provide, so we can offer it to you at no cost.

Who pays for the training?

The funding comes from the Employment Training Panel (ETP), a state agency that was established to reduce unemployment and improve the competitiveness of California businesses that face out-of-state and international competition. The California Employment Training Tax (ETT) provides the revenue for the program. The Panel has provided over one billion dollars towards partially-funded or free training since the tax was levied in 1983. Details can be found here.

The State wants its companies to grow and compete with those in other states, so that jobs remain in California. When employees improve their skills, their jobs become more secure and the wages for those jobs increase. Higher incomes also improve the state economy as the money is recycled into other local businesses.

If we're getting it for free, how good is the training?

Eligible students will sit in the same public enrollment classes that we advertise at full price, with the same courseware, computers, and instructors. Restrictions apply for onsite training (i.e. training at your company) where we may charge additional fees for course customization.

What courses are offered?

Under this program, students can take the vast majority of our courses (with the rare exception of a few of the most basic levels of MS Office classes, such as Word Intro). You may be surprised to find out that this offer even applies to advanced programming classes, such as Ajax, PHP, or Perl.

What is the catch?

This is a well-known government program from which other companies have benefited for over 20 years. We can provide you with references of other companies using the program if necessary, or you can find out more by searching online for "California ETP training." However, there are a few provisos:

The main requirement is that employees must make at least $15.70 an hour. The monetary value of medical, dental, and vision benefits can apply towards this minimum. There are some exceptions, so please contact us for more information.
Students will need to provide us with their Social Security numbers, which we input into a government web site for tracking purposes.
The company may be required to pay a fee if the student leaves their job before a 90-day waiting period after their last class, or if they don't complete the number of hours of training they've committed to within a specified period of time.
Companies must pay their employees' normal wages while they are attending training.
We provide courseware to everyone during the classes, but if a student wants to take the courseware with them after the class, their company must purchase it from us. About half of our customers purchase the courseware; the others forego it.

How does it work?

Here are the steps involved in getting the free computer training:

We send you the ETP's "Certification Statement" to make sure your company will be eligible to participate. You have an HR representative from your company collect the required information and fill ou the application.
We send an agreement detailing the terms between your company and AcademyX. Both this and the Certification Statement must be reviewed and signed by an authorized signer of your company and returned to us. In most cases, we will find out if your company is eligible within one business day.
Each participating employee fills out a basic form to determine eligibility (typically we know immediately) and you can start scheduling a block of classes.

During this process you are not committed to take the AcademyX classes until you attend your first day of training. At that time, you are required to complete at least 24 or more hours of training.

What are the requirements for the program?

Employer Requirements
1. Does your company have a valid State Tax ID number?	The State Tax ID number is also referred to as the California Employer Account Number (CEAN). This number can be found on your state W-2 labeled as "State Employer Account Number" and it is found on many Employment Development Department (EDD) forms your company fills out, such as the DE-7, DE-34, DE-88, DE-6, or DE-542. You can also find it by calling the Employment Development Department at (888) 745-3886.
2. Does your company pay Employment Training Tax (ETT) for their employees?	You company must pay Employment Training Tax (ETT) to California to be eligible for this Free Computer Training. Most companies pay this tax automatically.

Student Requirements
1. Do you plan to stay employed 90 days after your last day of training?	You must remain employed for at least 90 days after the last day of your training to be eligible. We will bill your company for completed training if you do not meet this requirement.
2. Do you earn at least $15.70/hour at your job?	Employees getting the training must earn at least $15.70/hour (approximately $32k/year, assuming a 40 hour work week). Any health benefits you receive can be counted towards this requirement.
3. Are you a full-time employee at your job?	California considers full-time employment as 35 hours or more average per week. Contractors and temporary or freelance workers do not qualify. Neither do business owners.
4. Can you commit to at least 24 hours of training (4 six-hour days of training) within a 120-day period?	More training is possible, but you must commit to a minimum of 24 hours of training to be eligible. AcademyX requires that this training has to be completed within 120 days.
5. Will you get paid wages while training at AcademyX?	You must be paid wages while training to be eligible.

How many employees can a company send for the free training?

There is no limit to the number of employees a company can send, since California employers pay the annual Employment Training Tax (ETT) for each employee. As long as all employees meet the eligibility requirements, they are entitled to our free computer training.