Financial Assistance For Generator Tool Trainings

Generator is now an approved partner with VSAC’s Advancement Grant Program! This means individuals can apply for financial support to cover the cost of eligible Generator tool trainings. Below you will find information about VSAC’s Advancement Grant, and how to apply. If you have any questions please contact [email protected].

VSAC Advancement Grant

The VSAC Advancement Grant is financial support that our community can use to cover the costs of Generator tool trainings. To make use of these funds there is some planning involved, therefore, Generator encourages you to think ahead and apply to VSAC’s Advancement Grant for multiple trainings at a time.

A few quick notes:

  • Applicants must meet VSAC eligibility requirements. Learn more by visiting the VSAC Advancement Grant page at www.vsac.org/pay/student-aid-options/grants
  • Applications are valid for 1 year from July 1 – June 30. You can apply anytime but you will need to apply for a date-specific training so think 2+ months ahead.
  • Awards are up to $3000 per term. Consider your options. What are the tools trainings that you are most interested in? You can apply for more than one training in a single VSAC Advancement Grant Application.

We are also here to help you. If you have any questions please reach out to [email protected].

There are a few quirks when applying for Generator tool training support through the
VSAC Advancement Grant so we created some steps to help guide you through the process. 

Step 1:  Ensure Your Eligibility

Click Here to see if you are eligible for VSAC funding.

Step 2: Select Your Generator Tool Trainings

For your VSAC application you will need to create a list of the tool trainings, their start dates, and the cost of each tool training you want to take. It will take a minimum of 2-3 weeks to be notified by VSAC of an award, so please select tool trainings that are at least 4 weeks out from the date you plan to submit.

Quirk Notice: A VSAC “Course” is not limited to a single Generator Tool Training. A “Course” can consist of multiple tool trainings. Applicants are encouraged to include all of the tool trainings they want to take prior to the end of the application year, June 30th.

Advanced Tool Trainings
Generator’s advanced tool trainings all require wood or metal shop training, are only scheduled by request, and cannot be the first training on your application. After submitting your VSAC application Generator will work with you to schedule the necessary advanced tool trainings.

Eligible Standard Tool Trainings

Eligible Advanced Tool Trainings

3D Printer
($110, 2.5 hrs)

Laser Cutter
($110, 2.5 hrs)

Vinyl Cutter
($99, 1.5 hrs)

Sewing
($110, 3 hrs)

Wood Shop
($200, two 3-hr sessions)

Metal Shop
($175, 4hrs)

Electronics
($99, 1.5hrs)

Jewelry
($200, two 3-hr sessions)

CNC Router
($425, three 2.5-hr sessions)

TIG Welder
($200, two 2.5-hr sessions)

MIG Welder
($175, 2.5 hrs)

Oxy-Acetylene Torch
($175, 2.5 hrs)

CNC Plasma Cutter
($175, 2.5 hrs)

Vertical Mill
($195, two 2-hr sessions)

Machine Lathe
($195, two 2-hr sessions)

Wood Lathe
($145, 2.5 hrs)

4-Axis CNC
($99, 2.5hrs)

Step 3: Collect The Required Information For Your VSAC Advancement Grant Application

Before you begin the Advancement Grant application process please collect and make sure you have the following things:

  • Your Social Security number
  • Your enrollment term (summer, fall, winter, spring)
  • The name of the course… When filling out the Advancement Grant Application use “Tool Training” as the name of your course no matter how many tool trainings are included in your application
  • The total cost of all combined tool trainings
  • The course start date. This will be the first day of your first tool training.
  • The source and amount of any other aid you’re receiving
  • Financial information (yours, your spouse if applicable, or your parents’) depending on your responses to specific questions in the application, including:
    • Yearly amount of child support (only the amount paid)
    • Federal Income tax return (if filed)
    • Untaxed income (income not included on tax return, such as child support received)
    • Assets—including savings and checking accounts, value and any debt for your current assets (home, farm, and/or business), and other real estate/investment equity

Step 4: Fill Out & Submit Your VSAC Advancement Grant Application

Applicants will be notified of their eligibility approximately 2–3 weeks after the application is complete.

  1. Click Here to go to the VSAC website.
  2. Scroll down to Short-term Training: Advancement Grant
  3. Then click How Do I Apply. 

Step 5: Contact Generator & Register For Tool Trainings

Please contact [email protected] immediately after submitting your VSAC Advancement Grant Application and provide the following information:

  1. Your First & Last Name
  2. Contact Information
  3. Names and Date of the trainings you submitted to VSAC Advancement Grant.
  4. Indicate if you are interested in any of our Advanced Tool Trainings. A request will need to be submitted, and we will start working on getting that scheduled.

Once our staff gets this information, we will provide you with a code to register for your selected trainings without requiring payment. **This should happen as soon as possible to ensure the trainings you are interested in do not fill up.

Please contact [email protected] with any questions.

Step 6: Await Funding Decision

A decision regarding grant eligibility will be made 2–3 weeks after your application submission. If funding has not been approved by the start date of the first tool training, registration for all trainings will be canceled. Please make sure that when you apply that you leave adequate time for a decision to be made before your first tool training.

Full Amount Of Funding Approved
If the full amount of funding requested is approved there isn’t anything else for you to do. At this point you should be registered for all of your trainings, and now you just have to show up. If you cannot attend a training for any reason please contact Generator ([email protected]), and we can help with rescheduling.

Partial Funding Approved
Reach out to Generator ([email protected]) to make new arrangements, and determine which of the trainings you’d prefer to attend.

Funding Not Approved
If the requested funding is not approved all tool training registrations will be canceled. If there are trainings you are still interested in, please reach out to Generator ([email protected]) to re-register, and pay, for any trainings you would still like to take.