Job Retention and Retraining

The Missouri Community Colleges' Job Retention and Retraining Program (JRRP) is a new program authorized by the Missouri General Assembly during its 2004 session.

The purpose of the program is to provide assistance to existing companies that are retaining vital jobs in Missouri and who have demonstrated their commitment to economic growth by making a capital investment in their facility. JRRP offers 100% funding for eligible training activities for retraining of those retained workers.

To qualify the business must:
  1. have maintained at least 100 employees per year at the Employer's site, for each of the two (2) calendar years preceding the year in which application for the Program is made,
  2. have retained at that site the level of employment that existed in the taxable year immediately preceding the year in which application for the Program is made, and
  3. have made, or agree to make, a capital investment aggregating at least one million dollars to acquire or improve long-term assets (including leased facilities) at the Employer's site over a period of three consecutive calendar years, and either have made substantial investment in new technology requiring the upgrading of workers' skills; or be located in a border county of the state and represent a potential risk of relocation from the state; or be determined to represent a substantial risk of relocation from the state by the Director of the Missouri Department of Economic Development.
Like the new jobs program, the Job Retention and Retraining Program enables community colleges to sell certificates that will be repaid using tax credits from the employer's regular withholding. The tax withholding is equal to 2.5% of gross wages for the first 100 retained jobs, and 1.5% of gross wages for the remaining retained jobs. The funding generated from the certificates can be used for retraining activities for existing employees. The tax credit for projects in excess of $500,000 may be claimed up to eight years, and those projects not in excess of $500,000 may be claimed up to ten years.

Funding is used to reimburse eligible training costs and costs associated with the issuance of the bonds.

Additional Information contact:
Andrew Filla at 816.482.5294
Email: Andrew.Filla@mcckc.edu