The Arizona Quest National Dislocated Worker Grant (AZQUEST) program is offered by Maricopa Community Colleges in collaboration with the City of Phoenix, and provides opportunities for eligible individuals to enhance their skills towards careers in high-paying, in-demand fields. This program focuses on education and training options, and addresses various obstacles that may hinder access to training and employment, such as childcare, transportation, and other support services. The goal of this project is to improve the long-term prospects of dislocated worker participants in the community by increasing access to high-quality jobs.

Maricopa Community Colleges will offer comprehensive, short-term programs that will provide participants of AZQUEST with industry-recognized credentials and certifications. Through this program, you will have the opportunity to acquire new skills, enhance existing ones, and secure job-training and employment prospects that support sustainable income for families.

This project is being supported, in whole or in part, by funds awarded to the City of Phoenix by the Department of Labor National Dislocated Worker Grant Program (DWG) Disaster Recovery. ARIZONA@WORK City of Phoenix is funded by the US Department of Labor, for information click here.

This project provides support to remove potential barriers that a student could face in an effort to help them gain an industry-recognized credential and receive employment assistance including:

• Career navigation services
• Streamlined admission and enrollment
• Up to $5,000 for tuition, books, and fees
• Funding for training-related expenses
• Monthly stipends for up to 3 months while you are enrolled in training*

• Employment assistance

*Additional eligibility requirements for monthly stipends will be discussed by ARIZONA@WORK City of Phoenix WIOA Staff.

To qualify for AZQUEST, you must meet BOTH of the following:

1. You must be a Maricopa County resident eligible for in-state tuition (see here for how residency is determined) who has been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic under one of the following circumstances since March 2020:

• Household income is reduced due to lost wages or reduced work hours
• Currently unemployed
• Qualified for unemployment or pandemic insurance benefits
• Laid off (through no fault of your own) from a job
• Stopped working to care for a sick household member
• Loss of child or spousal support
• Stopped working to care for children home from school or daycare
• Long-term unemployed individual

2. You must meet Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) eligibility:

          • You must be 18 years or older (dislocated, furloughed, or workers who were terminated through no fault of their own may be under 18 years of age)
          • You must be eligible to work in the United States
          • You must meet income eligibility requirements or must be unemployed, dislocated, or furloughed from work
          • Males born after January 1, 1960 must have met selective service requirements

For additional information on eligibility, visit the WIOA website.