Many U.S. states offer grants, tax credits, or wage reimbursements that help employers pay for ISTQB training and ISTQB certification exam costs. These programs are often focused on short-term, skills-based training that leads to industry-recognized credentials.
Employers may be able to use these funds to support ISTQB certifications taken through AT*SQA, especially when they are part of a broader technical training plan. Eligibility always depends on the specific rules of each program, so you should confirm details directly with the state program administrator.
Below is a list that highlights one key program for each state that may help employers upskill current employees or train new hires. Check with your state to learn if there are other programs that may also help fund your ISTQB exams and training.
Be sure to use ASTQB-accredited training because those ISTQB courses are proven to effectively cover the ISTQB syllabus for each certification.
Note: If you are a U.S. veteran or eligible dependent, the VA offers individuals reimbursement via the GI Bill® for ISTQB exams taken through ASTQB and AT*SQA. (GI Bill® is a registered trademark of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.)
See the state-by-state listing of programs below.
Alabama
Program: Incumbent Worker Training Program (IWTP)
What it does: Provides reimbursable grant funds so employers can upgrade the skills of existing workers through customized training. Eligible costs can include training fees, tuition, and materials.
Alaska
Program: Incumbent Worker Training (IWT)
What it does: Offers reimbursable grants to employers for training that increases employee skill levels, helps avert layoffs, or supports advancement within the company.
Arizona
Program: Incumbent Worker Training Program
What it does: Helps Arizona employers fund training so current employees can gain the skills needed to retain employment and avoid layoffs. Administered through local ARIZONA@WORK boards.
Learn MoreArkansas
Program: Office of Skills Development Training Grants
What it does: Provides state-funded training grants to help Arkansas employers develop customized training for new and existing workers in high-demand occupations.
California
Program: Employment Training Panel (ETP)
What it does: Reimburses approved employers for the cost of vocational training for current and newly hired employees, with a focus on job creation, job retention, and higher wages.
Colorado
Program: Skill Advance Colorado Job Training Grants (Colorado First & Existing Industry)
What it does: Provides grants to new and existing Colorado businesses to fund customized training for new hires and incumbent workers, delivered in partnership with community colleges.
Connecticut
Program: Manufacturing Innovation Fund – Incumbent Worker Training
What it does: Offers matching grants (typically 50 percent) to manufacturers for training that upskills incumbent workers in advanced manufacturing and related sectors.
Delaware
Program: Workforce Training Grant (currently paused)
What it does: Historically provided matching grants to reimburse a portion of customized workforce training costs for Delaware employers. As of the latest update, the program is paused, so employers should check back for status changes.
Florida
Program: Incumbent Worker Training (IWT) Grant
What it does: Reimburses eligible businesses for a significant portion of direct training costs to upgrade the skills of existing full-time employees, often covering up to 75 percent for small businesses.
Georgia
Program: Retraining Tax Credit
What it does: Provides an income tax credit equal to 50 percent of approved retraining costs, up to 500 dollars per employee per program, for training on new equipment, technology, or software.
Hawaii
Program: On-the-Job Training (OJT) Program
What it does: Reimburses Hawaii employers for 50 to 90 percent of wages for eligible new hires during an approved training period, helping offset the cost of teaching technical skills on the job.
Idaho
Program: Workforce Development Training Fund – Employer Grants
What it does: Provides grants to employers and industry consortia to support training that addresses Idaho workforce needs, including upskilling existing workers and preparing new hires.
Illinois
Program: Incumbent Worker Training (via Illinois workNet and local workforce boards)
What it does: Reimburses eligible businesses for a portion of training costs for current employees to upgrade skills, promote advancement, or avert layoffs.
Indiana
Program: Employer Training Grant (Next Level Jobs) and Power Up Indiana
What it does: Reimburses employers up to 5,000 dollars per employee (with caps per employer) for short-term, industry-recognized training for new or current workers, including technical training that leads to credentials.
Iowa
Program: Iowa Jobs Training Program (260F)
What it does: Provides state-funded forgivable loans or grants for customized training of current employees at eligible Iowa businesses, typically delivered through community colleges.
Kansas
Program: Incumbent Worker Training Program
What it does: Offers grants to employers to cover certain costs of skills upgrade training for full-time employees, with priority for projects that prevent layoffs or support business expansion.
Kentucky
Program: Bluegrass State Skills Corporation (BSSC) – Grant-in-Aid and Skills Training Investment Credit
What it does: Provides matching grants and tax credits to help Kentucky companies fund occupational and skills-upgrade training for current and new employees.
Louisiana
Program: Incumbent Worker Training Program (IWTP)
What it does: Uses employer-paid unemployment insurance surcharges to fund customized training for existing employees, with the goal of increasing productivity, wages, and job retention.
Maine
Program: Training for ME / Maine Workforce Development Compact (grant-funded training)
What it does: Offers grant-funded training dollars to Maine employers, often providing per-employee training funding when they participate in the statewide Workforce Development Compact.
Maryland
Program: Maryland Business Works
What it does: A matching incumbent worker training grant that helps private sector employers fund training to upgrade the skills of current employees. Funding availability is cyclical, so employers should confirm current status.
Massachusetts
Program: Workforce Training Fund Program (WTFP)
What it does: Provides matching grants to Massachusetts employers for training current and newly hired workers, including both larger General Program grants and smaller Express grants.
Michigan
Program: Going PRO Talent Fund
What it does: Awards competitive grants to employers for short-term training that leads to industry-recognized credentials for new and existing employees, including classroom, on-the-job, and apprenticeship training.
Minnesota
Program: Automation Training Incentive Program (ATIP)
What it does: Provides grants up to 35,000 dollars to small manufacturing and skilled production businesses to train existing workers on new automation technologies.
Mississippi
Program: On-the-Job Training and Incumbent Worker Training (via Mississippi Department of Employment Security)
What it does: Offers wage reimbursement for on-the-job training and, through local workforce boards, high-percentage reimbursement for industry-specific incumbent worker training in some regions.
Missouri
Program: Credential Training Program
What it does: Provides competitive grants reimbursing employers that help workers earn short-term credentials in high-need fields such as manufacturing technology, cybersecurity, and healthcare.
Montana
Program: Incumbent Worker Training (IWT) Program
What it does: Offers grants that offset part of the cost of occupational skills training for existing employees, with an emphasis on small businesses and training that leads to promotions, wage gains, or market expansion.
Nebraska
Program: Customized Job Training (CJT) Grant Program
What it does: Provides grants to businesses that create or retain quality jobs in Nebraska, helping fund customized training for new and existing employees.
Nevada
Program: Incumbent Worker Training Grants
What it does: Helps employers in Nevada offset the cost of training current employees to upgrade skills and improve competitiveness, typically with partial reimbursement of training costs.
New Hampshire
Program: WorkInvestNH (formerly Job Training Fund)
What it does: Provides a one-to-one cash match for employer-sponsored training that upgrades employee skills, including technical, quality, safety, and management training.
New Jersey
Program: UPSKILL: NJ Incumbent Worker Training Grant Program
What it does: Offers New Jersey employers reimbursement of up to 50 percent of eligible training costs to upskill incumbent frontline employees in high-demand skills and occupations.
New Mexico
Program: Step Up Program (part of Job Training Incentive Program)
What it does: Reimburses up to 75 percent of training costs for incumbent employees, up to 6,000 dollars per worker, for approved skill-upgrade training delivered through colleges or industry providers.
New York
Program: Employee Training Incentive Program (ETIP)
What it does: Provides refundable state tax credits to employers for a share of eligible training costs for employees and for certain internship programs in advanced technology, life sciences, software, and clean energy.
North Carolina
Program: Incumbent Worker Training (IWT)
What it does: Helps established businesses offset the cost of training employees who have been with the company at least six months, with training aimed at upskilling and promotion or layoff aversion.
North Dakota
Program: North Dakota New Jobs Training Program
What it does: Offers incentives, including funding to offset training costs, to primary sector businesses that are creating new full-time jobs in North Dakota.
Ohio
Program: TechCred
What it does: Reimburses Ohio employers for approved, short-term, technology-focused credentials. Employers can receive up to 2,000 dollars per credential for eligible training and certification costs.
Oklahoma
Program: Training for Industry Program (TIP)
What it does: Provides customized training for new or expanding companies in Oklahoma, often at little or no cost to the employer, including pre-employment and job-specific training.
Oregon
Program: On-the-Job Training (OJT) – WorkSource Oregon
What it does: Reimburses employers for up to 50 percent of wages (usually with a cap per trainee) during an approved training period for eligible new hires, and provides other training supports.
Pennsylvania
Program: WEDnetPA – Guaranteed Free Training (GFT) Program
What it does: Provides training funds to qualified employers for new and existing employees, delivered through a statewide network of colleges and training providers.
Rhode Island
Program: Incumbent Worker Training Grant Program
What it does: Provides Rhode Island employers with 50 to 75 percent reimbursement of eligible training costs for programs that help workers maintain employment and advance in their careers.
South Carolina
Program: Incumbent Worker Training (IWT)
What it does: Funds training for existing workers when businesses face changing skill requirements due to new technology, processes, or products, often used as part of layoff aversion strategies.
South Dakota
Program: Workforce Development Program
What it does: Through the Governor’s Office of Economic Development, provides cost-sharing support (often up to 50 percent of eligible expenses) for training new and existing employees as companies grow.
Tennessee
Program: Incumbent Worker Training Program (IWT)
What it does: Competitive grants that reimburse eligible Tennessee businesses for a portion of the costs of skills-upgrade and process improvement training for full-time incumbent workers.
Texas
Program: Skills Development Fund
What it does: Awards grants, usually via community and technical colleges, to design and deliver customized training for Texas employers, with typical project sizes up to 500,000 dollars and per-trainee targets around 2,000 dollars.
Utah
Program: Custom Fit Training Program
What it does: Administered through Utah’s higher education system, Custom Fit helps pay for a significant share of approved training costs (often around 40 percent) for Utah businesses needing customized training.
Vermont
Program: Vermont Training Program (VTP)
What it does: Provides performance-based grants that reimburse up to 50 percent of training costs for pre-employment, new hire, and incumbent worker training related to job creation or retention.
Virginia
Program: Virginia Jobs Investment Program (VJIP)
What it does: A discretionary incentive that offers funding and services to companies creating new jobs or undergoing technological change, helping offset recruitment and training costs, including retraining existing employees.
Washington
Program: Job Skills Program (JSP)
What it does: Provides grants to community and technical colleges to deliver customized training for new and current employees at partner businesses, especially in high unemployment or high-poverty regions.
West Virginia
Program: Incumbent Worker Training (IWT)
What it does: Under WorkForce West Virginia and local workforce boards, offers cost-sharing grants to employers to train current employees so they can retain employment, move into higher-skilled roles, or avoid layoffs.
Wisconsin
Program: Wisconsin Fast Forward (WFF)
What it does: Provides competitive worker training grants that reimburse employers for customized occupational training costs for unemployed, underemployed, and incumbent workers.
Wyoming
Program: Workforce Development Training Fund (WDTF)
What it does: Offers several grant types, including Business Training Grants, that can provide up to 4,000 dollars per trainee to help Wyoming employers upgrade worker skills, support apprenticeships, and fund pre-hire training.
Note: These programs change over time. Always review the official program pages and contact the program administrators to confirm current rules, funding levels, and whether certification exam costs can be included in an approved training plan.
