Page 27 - Hanford Chamber Business Toolkit

estimated $18,000 direct reimbursement would be available to the business.

Employment Development Department (EDD)
EDD works with the business to access the state’s entire workforce or coordinate recruitment activities with
JTO, Proteus or KingsWorks. EDD works with the business to focus recruitment and placement of pre-quali-
ed workers to match the business’ requirements and maximize available tax credits. The Job Match system
provides employers with quick access to the largest available pool of job ready applicants.

Other Local Agencies
Other local agencies such as K-Wex and Proteus have programs to assist employers in hiring and training
potential employees. For more information on their updated incentives please contact them directly. Prote-
us is available at (559) 582-9253. To get in contact with the manager of the K-Wex program contact the Kings
County Human Services Agency’s We;fare to Work Department and ask for the manager of the Step Program
at (559) 852-2203.

Colleges
The College of the Sequoias o ers several standard training programs for employees and will customize
training programs to meet the speci c needs of the employer. The College of the Sequoias recently complet-
ed construction of a Vocational Training Center.

State of California Incentives
California has made a concerted e ort to encourage new investment and reduce the cost of starting and
operating a business through the creation of various incentives and programs available to businesses oper-
ating in the state. See www.business.ca.gov/.

Research and Development Tax Credits
Designed to encourage companies to increase their basic research and development activities in California,
the research and development tax credit allows companies to receive a 15% credit against their corporation’s
tax liability for quali ed in-house research expenses and a 24% credit for basic research payments to an
outside organization. This is the highest Research and Development tax credit in the nation. To qualify, the
research must be conducted within California and must not include research for the purpose of improving a
commercial product for style, taste, cosmetic, or seasonal design factors.

California Employment Training Panel (ETP)
This state program assists businesses in acquiring and retaining a highly skilled work force with expertise in
very speci c elds in order to increase competitiveness and productivity. The company must produce prod-
ucts or services sold out-of-state, or have in-state sales, which compete with products sold out-of-state, and
meet the wage requirements. ETP will enter into a performance-based contract that will include a custom-
ized training curriculum that is performed by either an approved training agency or the company itself. As
the training is completed, the costs for developing, implementing, and completing the training are reim-
bursed. ETP reimburses employers $26.00 per training hour for employee training. Reimbursed training can
range from 8 to 100 hours for most employers. The average reimbursement per employee is roughly $1,200,
and is dependent on the number of hours in training. For 10 employees trained, this can total up to $20,000.

HUBZone:
SBA’s HUBZone (Historically Underutilized Business Zone) assists small businesses gain preferential access to
federal procurement opportunities. Preferences go to businesses that obtain HUBZone certi cation by
employing sta that live in the HUBZone and by being located in the HUBZone.