Expert: D. Norkus - 5/28/2008

Question
Hi Dottie,
I was recently in training at a regional airline in the US.
They decided to ground 40 aircraft during my training,therefore I lost my job. Do you know of any loans I might qualify for to get my instructor ratings. I had heard of government funding for such circumstances but have found nothing.
Thanks,
Keith

Answer
Keith

What I think you are wanting to know about is the Workers' Investment Act, which provides funds to "dislocated" (laid off, furloughed) workers to help them get trained so they can get back to work. Post 9/11 many pilots took advantage of this federally funded program to get 'retrained' for another job. (For some, this meant a B737 type so they could apply with Southwest.)

To find out if your state has any WIA funds (some don't), how to apply and the maximum amount allowed per grant in your state (it varies by state), you need to contact your 'Dept of Employment Security Office' in the state where you reside. FYI- Some states have no funding for this program while others may have it but have run out for the fiscal year.

These links may help-

A summary of the WIA of 1998
http://www.cga.ct.gov/ps99/rpt/olr/htm/99-r-0071.htm

Click on your state-
http://www.careeronestop.org/WiaProviderSearch.asp

There are also several threads about WIA (although they may be a dated) on these popular message boards:
http://forums.flightinfo.com
http://www.airlinepilotforums.com

As far as loans to further your training to get the CFI certificates, try this-

http://www.aopa.org/info/certified/funds.html

http://www.pilotfinance.com

Sally Mae Career Training Loans- http://www.salliemae.com/get_student_loan/find_student_loan/training_loans/caree...

Bummer you had to get a taste of this so soon in your career. I had it happen to me too only a few weeks after IOE in 2001. Hopefully since you were on property, you have recall rights.

Good Luck
Dottie