Jobs and Job Training

Washington, April 27 – Although available funding from last year’s American Recovery and Reinvestment Act is winding down, state and local governments continue to feel the pinch of a poor economy. A key House Democrat has offered a $100 billion plan designed to help save and create jobs in the public and nonprofit sectors but it hasn’t seen much action yet on Capitol Hill. Support for the measure, however, is growing at the local level, particularly in light of some new statistics released last week.

Washington, April 19 – The Employment and Training Administration is inviting state and tribal governments to apply for a share of $90 million provided by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to help dislocated workers cope with the effects of the recession.

Washington, April 9 — The Department of Labor’s Employment and Training Administration recently announced the availability of $13.2 million in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds to bolster job training services that prepare trainees for careers in the health care field.

Washington, Nov. 16 – October marked the first release of financial reports from recipients of Recovery Act grants and contracts, which many observers have hailed as a milestone for transparency in federal funding. However, within days of their release, multiple news agencies were claiming that many of the reports contained serious errors that undermined the reliability of the government’s tally of jobs created or saved.

Washington, March 20 — Billions of stimulus dollars for new workforce training, combined with a temporary change in contracting rules, could help the nation’s community colleges revamp the American workforce for “green” jobs and other high-demand occupations.

President Obama's economic stimulus package includes $120 million for the Department of Labor's Senior Community Service Employment Program, which supports community service jobs for low-income older adults. Click on the attached PDF document for a full discussion of how the program operates.

The economic stimulus package provides a major funding boost for Employment Services grants, which help unemployed workers find jobs and improve vocational skills through the One-Stop Career Center network. For a complete description of the program, click on the attached PDF document.

In addition to the major formula grant programs authorized by the Workforce Investment Act of 1998, the economic stimulus package also includes discretionary grant funding for YouthBuild and Job Corps, two programs designed to help disadvantaged youths build valuable employment skills and find gainful employment.

To combat the rising unemployment rate and put more Americans back to work, the economic stimulus package includes a funding boost for the three main formula grant programs authorized by the Workforce Investment Act of 1998. For a detailed description of how WIA formula grant funding is distributed and what it may support, click on the attached PDF documents.

Washington, March 2 – Arts organizations that have been, or may be, forced to cut positions, have until March 13 to request a share of $50 million being made available through the National Endowment for the Arts to help save those positions.