CareerSource Florida reimburses 50% of approved training costs for current full-time employees, and up to 75% for priority employers such as companies with 25 or fewer staff or in rural areas. Awards run up to $100,000 per grant. The state reviews every trainer and caps vendor instruction at $300 an hour, so we check the fit with you before you apply.
CareerSource Florida, the state's workforce development board, runs the Incumbent Worker Training grant for Florida businesses that want to train the full-time employees they already have. For the program year that runs July 1, 2026 to June 30, 2027, the guidelines set aside $3 million for the program statewide.
The deal is a reimbursement. You pay for approved training, then claim back 50% of the approved direct costs, or up to 75% if you are a priority applicant. Priority covers businesses with 25 or fewer employees, businesses in rural or distressed areas, targeted industries, training that leads to a credential on the state's Master Credentials List, and layoff avoidance. For a small company, that is the point of the program: state money that lets a lean team learn to automate the repetitive parts of the job and compete with larger, better-funded competitors.
Two rules shape the math for these courses. First, CareerSource Florida reviews every training provider as part of the application, including accreditation and licensure, and asks for the provider's website and the instructors' resumes. It does not keep a list of approved providers, and the guidelines do not bar an out-of-state trainer, but approval is at the state's discretion. Second, vendor instruction is capped at $300 per hour, which matters for a live course priced per seat.
The clock is long. Applications go in online only, at least 45 business days before the planned start, and nothing can start until the contract is fully signed. Training has to finish within 12 months of the contract date.
For Florida for-profit businesses, and nonprofit or local government hospitals, that have operated for at least one year and have at least one full-time Florida-resident W-2 employee. Retail establishments, most nonprofits, and government entities are excluded.
W-2 employees of the applicant, 18 or older, authorized to work in the US, who live in Florida, work at a Florida location at least 37.5 hours a week, and have been employed at least 6 months before the application is signed.
Apply online at least 45 business days before training. Training starts only after the contract is fully signed, and must finish within 12 months. Reimbursement requests are due within 60 days of the contract end date, and payment takes up to five weeks after review.
A 20-person company sends four people through one course. Tuition is $12,000. If CareerSource Florida counts the full tuition, up to $9,000 comes back at the 75% priority rate. If it applies the $300 per hour cap to the 10-hour class, eligible cost is $3,000 and up to $2,250 comes back. That gap is why we confirm before you apply.
The five courses are the same in every state: 10 instructional hours, live and instructor-led, $3,000 per trainee, two-seat minimum. Start with who will be in the room. A mixed group of managers, admins and customer-facing staff belongs in AI Enablement for Small Business Teams. If the pressure is in the back office, AI for Finance, Accounting and Payroll Teams is built for the people who close the month and run payroll.
Contractors, home services and any crew-based business should look at AI for Field Service and Trades Businesses. Law, accounting, medical, dental, architecture and advisory offices fit AI for Professional Practices. And if you have someone who lives in spreadsheets, exports and reports, Claude Code for Operations and Data Teams is the technical option, with a smaller cohort of up to 6.
Florida will not fund soft skills or general software upgrades, so the application should describe the specific job skills your team will use. The finance, trades and professional practice courses make that easy to show. And because vendor instruction is capped per hour, a fuller cohort does not raise what comes back, so we plan the cohort size with you.
A 15 minute call to confirm the five eligibility points, check whether you qualify for the priority rate, and choose the course and the employees who will attend.
You pull the tax clearance letter, bank letter and tax forms, and submit the application in CareerSource Florida's online portal at least 45 business days before the start date. We supply the trainer details the state asks for.
Nothing starts until the contract is fully signed. Your team then takes 10 hours of live, instructor-led training over 4 to 5 weeks. You pay the course invoice.
You submit attendance records, invoices, proof of payment and trainee forms through the portal within 60 days of the contract end date. Payment follows within about five weeks of review.
Plan your AI rollout as two budgets: training through the grant, and implementation as its own project. Our free AI capability audit maps the second one.
Yes, within limits. CareerSource Florida's Incumbent Worker Training grant reimburses 50% of approved direct training costs for current full-time employees, or up to 75% for priority applicants, with a maximum award of $100,000. AI is not named in the guidelines, so the application has to show the specific job skills the training builds. Awards are not guaranteed.
Up to $1,500 at 50%, or $2,250 at 75%, if the full tuition counts. Florida has no per-trainee cap, but it caps vendor instruction at $300 per hour. Applied to a 10-hour class, that would limit eligible cost to $3,000 for the whole cohort, so a four-person class would get back up to $1,500 at 50% or $2,250 at 75%. We confirm which reading CareerSource Florida applies before you apply.
Priority applicants, which include businesses with 25 or fewer employees, businesses in rural or distressed areas, qualified targeted industries, training that leads to a credential on the Master Credentials List, and layoff avoidance. Everyone else starts at 50%.
For-profit Florida businesses, plus nonprofit and local government hospitals, that have operated at least one year. You need a Florida Department of Revenue tax clearance letter and a bank letter. Retail establishments, other nonprofits, government entities, and companies that received this grant in the current or previous year are not eligible.
A W-2 employee of your company who lives in Florida, works at a Florida location at least 37.5 hours a week, is 18 or older, is authorized to work in the US, and has been with you at least 6 months. Part-time staff and 1099 contractors do not qualify.
The guidelines do not rule it out. Florida allows private trainers, consultants and vendors, but CareerSource Florida reviews every provider, including accreditation and licensure, and asks for the provider's website and instructors' resumes. Our trainer is based in Massachusetts, and we confirm the provider review before you file.
No. Employee wages and fringe benefits are not reimbursable in Florida. You pay staff for their time in class as usual.
At least 45 business days before the first session, online only. Contracts not signed within 45 days are voided, and training that starts before the contract is fully signed is not reimbursed. Awards are made monthly.
After training, as a reimbursement. You submit attendance, invoices, proof of payment and trainee forms through the online portal within 60 days of the contract end date. Processing takes up to five weeks after review, and payment comes by direct deposit or check. What you claim cannot run ahead of the share of trainees who have finished.
Consulting, implementation, software upgrades, equipment, travel, food, conferences, exam fees and soft skills training. The grant pays for training only. Our free AI capability audit is where the implementation conversation starts.
Yes, as of our check. The guidelines for July 1, 2026 to June 30, 2027 set aside $3 million statewide, and the program page shows applications being accepted. Funds are limited, so earlier applications have a better chance.
Send the form. We confirm the five eligibility points, check the priority rate, and confirm the provider review and the hourly cap with CareerSource Florida before you file. Questions for the state go to grants@careersourceflorida.com or 850-759-4349.