Does NYS Department of Labor unemployment pay for school tuition and training programs?
I've been collecting unemployment for about 6 weeks now and I'm thinking about going back to school to get some new skills since the job market is pretty rough in my field. Does NYS Department of Labor have any programs that will help pay for college classes or training while I'm on UI? I heard from someone that there might be funding available but I can't find clear info on the my.ny.gov website. Has anyone done this successfully? I don't want to mess up my benefits by enrolling in classes if it's going to cause problems with my weekly claims.
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LongPeri
Yes, NYS Department of Labor does have education and training programs! Look into the Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) program if your job loss was due to foreign trade, or the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) funding. You can also attend school while on unemployment as long as you remain able and available for work. You'll need approval from your local career center before enrolling to make sure it doesn't affect your UI eligibility.
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Freya Collins
•Thanks! Do you know if I have to report school attendance on my weekly claims? I'm worried about the able and available requirement.
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Oscar O'Neil
I went to community college while on unemployment last year and it was fine. You just have to make sure you're still looking for work and available for interviews. I think you can do part-time classes without any issues but full-time might require special approval from NYS Department of Labor.
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Sara Hellquiem
•Actually, even part-time classes require disclosure on your weekly claims. You need to report all activities that might affect your availability for work. Better to be upfront about it than risk an overpayment later.
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Charlee Coleman
I've been trying to get information about this from NYS Department of Labor for weeks! Every time I call I get disconnected or they tell me to check the website, but the website doesn't have clear answers. This is so frustrating - I just want to improve my skills while I'm looking for work.
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Sara Hellquiem
•I had the same problem reaching anyone at NYS Department of Labor until I found this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com). They actually got me through to a real person who could answer my training questions. There's a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI that shows how it works. Saved me hours of calling and getting nowhere.
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Charlee Coleman
•That actually sounds really helpful. I'll check it out because I'm getting nowhere with the regular phone system.
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Liv Park
just started nursing classes and still getting my unemployment no problems. you do have to say yes when they ask about school on the weekly claim but as long as your still looking for work its fine
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Freya Collins
•That's reassuring! Are you doing full-time or part-time classes? And did you get any special approval beforehand?
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Leeann Blackstein
The NYS Department of Labor system is so confusing about this stuff. One person tells you one thing, another tells you something completely different. I've heard people say they got in trouble for not reporting school, but then others say it's no big deal. Why can't they just have clear guidelines??
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LongPeri
•The guidelines are actually pretty clear - you must report any training or education on your weekly claims and maintain your job search requirements. The confusion comes from people not reading the full requirements or getting incomplete information from representatives.
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Ryder Greene
good for you for trying to better yourself! the job market sucks right now so might as well use the time to learn something new
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Olivia Evans
I went through this exact situation about 8 months ago and here's what I learned: You absolutely need to contact your local One-Stop Career Center BEFORE enrolling in any classes. They can help determine if you qualify for programs like WIOA or TAA that will actually pay for your training. I ended up getting approved for a web development bootcamp that was 100% covered, and I was able to continue receiving UI benefits throughout the program. The key is getting the proper approval first - don't just enroll and hope for the best. Each local office has slightly different procedures, so definitely go in person if you can rather than trying to navigate this over the phone.
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Dylan Mitchell
•This is exactly the kind of detailed advice I was hoping for! Thank you so much for sharing your experience. I'm definitely going to contact my local One-Stop Career Center this week. Did you have to maintain the same job search requirements while in the bootcamp, or were they modified since you were in an approved program? Also, was there a waiting period between getting approved and starting classes, or could you begin right away once approved?
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