Grant to Provide Training for Long-Term Unemployed

The state’s labor department has been given a $1.7 million federal grant to expand training opportunities for the long-term unemployed.

The funding is part of the US Department of Labor’s Dislocated Worker training, a component of the Workforce Investment Act. It is aimed at assisting those who have been unemployed for 27 weeks or longer, with an emphasis on helping those whose unemployment benefits are running out.

“Funding will support on-the-job training, customized training, registered apprenticeship programs and other training activities that connect individuals with employers,” the state Department of Labor and Industrial Relations said in a press release.

The Dislocated Worker Program assists those who have been laid-off by providing a series of intensive career counseling and preparation services designed to help them get back into the workforce.

Those qualifying for WIA programs include those who are unlikely to return to the same job or industry, those who were formerly self-employed but are out of work because of a downturn in the community’s economy, and former homemakers needing a source of income.

Employers and long-term unemployed workers are encouraged to contact their local One-Stop Center for more information.