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Fast Track Career Certificates & Grant Program
UAA's Career Certificates can help you find the fast track to new or improved employment! Designed to focus on skills needed for the job, each one is targeted, complete and packaged into as compact a time frame as possible. In only a year's time, you can be ready for a new position in Bookkeeping, Construction, Entrepreneurship, Baking & Pastry Arts, Phlebotomy, Welding, or as an IT Support Desk Technician. Your opportunities are here, and the time is now!
The UAA Catalog provides detailed information about requirements for Occupational Endorsement Certificates. A complete listing of programs is also available.
If you are interested in a certificate program, there may also be funding available to help you.
The ARPA Fast Track grant program, funded by the Anchorage Municipality in 2021, is taking applications to fund students for up to $18,000 each in educational and living expenses. Acceptance to the grant does not equate to acceptance to an Occupational/ Occupational Endorsement certification program, though all Occupational/ Occupational Endorsement Certificates qualify for the grant. Read on below to learn more about this time-limited opportunity!
Invest this time to improve your training and skills, so when a good position you are interested in becomes available, you are the most qualified for the job.
The ARPA Fast Track Grant is Officially Full!
COVID-19 has hit many people hard - business owners and employees alike! The Fast Track program is here to help you qualify for new or improved employment opportunities. The program, generously funded by the Municipality of Anchorage, is designed to pay for a one-year occupational endorsement or undergraduate certificate from UAA.
Thank you for your overwhelming support and interest in our grant! We have reached our participant capacity and deeply appreciate the community’s response and support, which has allowed us to reach this milestone.
Our team is still accepting applications for the program but all new applications will be added to an internal waitlist in the order they are received. This does not mean that new applicants will never be accepted or asked to participate with our grant, only that we will need to work our way down the waitlist as slots are opened.
Applicants attending UAA who are eligible for the program will receive:
- A maximum of $9000 to cover the cost of tuition, fees, equipment, and course materials.
- ARPA Grant funding should only be used toward courses required for an OEC.
- An additional $1000 will be paid monthly to cover other school related costs and living expenses (up to $9000).
- If students take longer than 9 months to complete the OEC, students will no longer be eligible for the $1000 per month for other school related costs and living expenses
Applicants interested in attending a program from another education provider and who are eligible for the program will receive:
- A maximum of $9000 to cover the cost of tuition, fees, equipment, and course materials.
- ARPA Grant funding should only be used toward courses required for an the program selected, according to published program costs.
- An additional $1000 will be paid monthly to cover other school related costs and living expenses (up to $9000).
- If students take longer than 9 months to complete the program, students will no longer be eligible for the $1000 per month for other school related costs and living expenses
Current Participants
Summer 2022 Important Dates & Deadlines
| January 10th - April 29th | ARPA Fast Track team reviews Summer 2022 applications |
| April 18th | Last appointments for Summer 2022 scheduled |
| April 18th - April 28th | UAA Students ARPA Fast Track team will pay grant related charges/ tuition |
| April 29th | Last day for application to participate in the Summer 2022 season |
*Tuition to non-UAA institutions will be paid at time of enrollment.
Once you have entered your program and have started generating charges (including tuition), please submit the payment request form below. It will collect the details our team needs in order to create payments -- please be ready to upload screenshots or visual receipts of the charges. For UAA students, tuition and other direct UAA charges can be found in your UA student account. Monthly stipends ($1,000) will be distributed upon confirmation that the participant has started attending courses for their certification program.
To qualify for the ARPA Fast Track grant participants must:
Our grant is intended to assist residents of the Municipality of Anchorage who have
been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic in securing professional certifications. To
qualify for participation, applicants must:
- Reside within the Municipality of Anchorage (i.e, Anchorage Bowl, Chugiak, Eklutna, Eagle River, Peter’s Creek, Girdwood, Rabbit Creek)
- Be able to commit to a complete education/training program.
- Not have already completed substantial progress (over 50%) on their education/training program.
- Fulfill at least one of the following criteria:
- Have been unemployed for any period since January 2020
- Be determined to be economically disadvantaged
Please refer to our Frequently asked questions document for more information!
New applications are being sorted through by the ARPA Fast Track team and will be added to our waitlist in the order that they are received. If you are interested in our program please feel free to submit an application, this will reserve your spot on our waitlist! If you have any questions please just reach out to our team!
Our team is currently addressing applicants on a first come, first served basis and will make sure to contact you as soon as we can. Once you are accepted, you will need to complete an award agreement. The agreement is an acknowledgement that you are willing to demonstrate ongoing progress in your program by verifying attendance and course reports in order to continue receiving financial support.
Contact
Fast Track Team
Email: uaa_fasttrack@alaska.edu
Phone: (907) 786-6218