Q.What type of services are IBSA participants receiving?
A.Participants receive general business training and graduate on to more specific training elements. Participants are assigned a business counselor and are offered multiple individual business counseling sessions.

Q.What topics are covered in the general training elements section?
A.Topics include marketing, business management, constructing a business plan, and business mindset.

Q.What topics are included in the specific training elements?
A.Topics include cash flow, financing, legal requirements, insurance, bookkeeping, and taxes.

Q. How do these training elements fit together?
A.All of these items culminate into the construct of a viable business plan. The business plan serves as the entrepreneur's roadmap to implementing and running his or her business. The business plan also serves as the primary document from which loan decisions will be made.

Q.What is an individual training account (ITA)?
A.An ITA is the method by which training funds are accessed in the one-stop center. Enterprise Training is an allowable training activity under the Workforce Investment Act.

Q. What are needs-related payments?
A.Needs-Related Payments are a permissible local employment and training activity. Eligibility for such payments is determined on a case-by-case basis. Needs-related payments are subsistence level payments to program participants while in training. We encourage the use of such payments for those who have not qualified for unemployment compensation and unemployment insurance (UI) exhaustees.

Q.What type of community outreach is taking place?
A.Community outreach includes public service and local media announcements, fliers, town-hall meetings, focus groups, community advisory panels, a toll-free number, brochures, and posters. We are exploring all avenues of community outreach, and through the town hall meetings, we are receiving feedback on the best ways to engage the local community.