Did you know that all of our Business Services are free of charge?
The WorkPlace is a convenient connection point for services that are good for business. Take advantage of what we have to offer your business!
- Advertising Your Jobs & Job Matching
- Open Recruitments at The WorkPlace
- On-the-Job Training Program
- Annual Jefferson-Lewis Job Fairs
ON-THE-JOB TRAINING PROGRAM ---UPDATING-OCTOBER-2026---
*LOWER TRAINING COSTS ~ Businesses can get reimbursed for the cost of training new employees!
This program is designed to help Jefferson County businesses meet their employment needs by offsetting the cost of training new employees who need to upgrade their skills to meet the demands of a specific job. On-the-Job Training (OJT) is a wage reimbursement program for the training of eligible new hires. The OJT program helps businesses by giving a financial incentive to hire and train new-hires in full-time skilled or semi-skilled occupations. If your business and the new employee qualifies, you are eligible to be reimbursed for 50% of the employee’s wages during their training phase (up to the financial limit allowed for the specific program).
What is On-the-Job Training? (Click here for the OJT Fact Sheet)
There are several types of OJT programs, with each one having different guidelines. In general, an OJT program will require that a business:
- Agrees to hire & train workers in a skilled or semi-skilled occupation
- Have a physical location in New York State (profit or nonprofit)
- Offers positions in full-time employment (30+ hours per week)
- Provides wages of at least $.50 above minimum wage, not including commission, tips or bonuses
- Completes training within a 6-month period
- Participants need to be vetted by The WorkPlace before they start work
How can your business become an OJT Employer?
*It is best to start the process as soon as you are thinking about becoming an OJT Employer - or - as soon as you have a candidate in mind!
- Employer Eligibility: The WorkPlace staff does have to complete a required NYSDOL vetting process, which requires brief paperwork to be completed by the employer. This process typically takes a few business days, however it may take up to two weeks. Contact Alyson if you are interested in becoming an OJT Employer.
- Employee Eligibility: The employer will share the candidates contact information with The WorkPlace staff, with that we will schedule an interview with the potential candidate to screen their eligibility.
*Both of the above must be completed before the potential candidate starts employment. - Contract & Training Outline: The Employer and WorkPlace Staff will work together to draft the training outline, and then the WorkPlace Staff will draft the contract (based on limits and specifications per OJT program guidelines). Once complete, WorkPlace staff will come to you for the OJT documents and contract to be reviewed and signed.
- Reimbursements: Vouchers are provided to the employer at the initial contract meeting (step 3), however they can be requested at any point during the contract when needed. Employers will complete and submit vouchers monthly, including pay summary documents that include dates, pay rates, hours worked, etc.
Contact Alyson at awesley@jeffersoncountyny.gov or 315-786-3659 below if you have questions or would like to discuss the potential of OJT for your business!
ADVERTISING YOUR JOB & JOB MATCHING
Do you have an open position that you’d like to advertise? We can post your job openings on the NYS Job Bank. As always, this service is at no cost to the employer!
We also match your openings to customers in our database. If we have a customer who is a good fit for the job, we send them the info on the job & tell them how to apply!
Below is our Job Order Form, which can be emailed to: theworkplace@jeffersoncountyny.gov.
OPEN RECRUITMENTS
We can assist you with holding open recruitments on our premises. This gives you the opportunity to interview multiple candidates without disrupting your daily operations.
We take care of all the advertising for the event and will send an email blast to all of our active customers letting them know when you will be interviewing and for what positions.
ANNUAL JEFFERSON-LEWIS JOB FAIRS
Every spring and fall we hold our annual job fairs at the Hilton Garden Inn, Watertown. These events are great opportunities for you to meet with many qualified candidates and are, of course, FREE! The only requirement is that you must have at least one job opening posted to the NYS Job Bank.
The next job fair will take place in the Spring of 2027.
More details to come!
If you'd like to ensure your business is on the email list to receive details, email Alyson at awesley@jeffersoncountyny.gov.
If you would like more information on any of the services we offer, please contact us at the information below.
Alyson Wesley
Jefferson County DET
Business Services Rep.
awesley@jeffersoncountyny.gov
315-786-3659
Aaron Peck
NYS Dept. of Labor
Business Services Rep.
aaron.peck@labor.ny.gov
315-786-3647
Michael Casselman
NYS Dept. of Labor
Local Veteran's Employment Rep.
michael.casselman@labor.ny.gov
315-786-3645
If you are a business in Lewis County, please click here to be directed to our office in Lowville.
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