OJT participants are paid at the same rates, including benefits and periodic pay increases, as similar employees or trainees. The pay may not be less than the federal or state minimum wage whichever is higher.
Employers who participate in OJT are reimbursed for up to one-half of the employee’s wage during the period of training by Missouri Work Assistance (MWA) funds or other federal sources due to the extraordinary costs of training and lower productivity of the individual. The Temporary Assistance (TA) recipient is usually placed in an OJT work activity for a period of six months. If the training is extended past six months, MWA funds cannot be used to pay for the training, but the hours engaged in the activity can continue to count toward the recipient’s required work participation hours and must be entered in the MWA System
The employer agrees to retain the OJT participant as an employee at the end of the OJT assignment. OJT is distinguished from other subsidized employment by the inclusion of a training plan and the contractual obligation to hire the individual. The training plan is a formal and written program of the structured job training that provides an orderly combination of instruction in work maturity skills, general employment competencies, and occupationally specific skills that enables the TA recipient to work toward self-sufficiency.
Countable hours for OJT include:
- Assessments when paid by the employer to determine if the TA recipient is able to obtain a specific employment opportunity including:
- employer-required tests such as typing, a physical, psychological, aptitude, personality, and drug tests
- OJT employment ;
- Supportive services paid by the employer including:
- mental health and substance abuse treatment;
- job search; and
- training as part of the OJT.