WASHINGTON - The U.S. Department of Labor announced today - in partnership with the Appalachian Regional Commission and the Delta Regional Authority - awards totaling $34,375,000, to provide education, training and supportive services in regions that have suffered significant job losses in the energy extraction industry.
“The Workforce Opportunity for Rural Communities Initiative provides grants to engage local communities and help build pathways for workers to good-paying jobs," explained Acting Assistant Secretary for Employment and Training Brent Parton. “The awards we’re announcing today reflect the Biden-Harris administration’s commitment to ensure the benefits of its investments in climate, clean energy, training and workforce development reach and serve disadvantaged communities."
"When we prioritize education, training and career support for rural Appalachians, we help our people and our entire region thrive, and eventually compete, with the rest of the nation," said Appalachian Regional Commission Federal Co-Chair Gayle Manchin. “The latest round of Workforce Opportunity for Rural Communities grants will continue giving workers in distressed communities the resources they need to enhance their career opportunities. In doing so, this will reignite Appalachian economies and create results that will reverberate throughout the whole region for years to come."
“Investments in workforce development is a key tool for economic growth in rural communities," added Delta Regional Authority Federal Co-Chairman Dr. Corey Wiggins. “Our continued partnership with the U.S. Department of Labor allows us to meet local industry demands head-on by developing a skilled workforce while also establish a talent pool that will attract new businesses to the region."
In keeping with Executive Order 14008, signed by President Biden, the WORC Initiative aligns with the Justice40 initiative , a whole-of-government approach to deliver 40 percent of the overall benefits of certain federal investments to communities historically marginalized, underserved and overburdened by pollution.
The WORC Initiative helps rural communities address historic inequities and to produce good, quality jobs for dislocated and other workers in rural communities in the Appalachian and Delta regions. The grants also help communities diversify their local economies by developing a skilled workforce and providing equitable access to underserved and underrepresented communities.
Lists of Workforce Opportunity for Rural Communities grant recipients follows this release.
Grants are being awarded to recipients in the Appalachian Regional Commission area as follows:
Recipient
State
Amount
Hazard Community and Technical College
KY
$1,441,292
Kentucky Dataseam Initiative Inc.
KY
$1,441,292
University of Maryland, College Park
MD
$985,419
Land of Sky Regional Council
NC
$1,441,125
Rural Action Inc.
OH
$1,421,763
University of Pittsburgh
PA
$1,119,908
Westmoreland-Fayette Workforce Development Board
PA
$938,962
Northeast State Community College
TN
$1,258,623
New River/Mount Rogers Workforce Development Area Consortium
VA
$1,441,292
Southwest Virginia Community College
VA
$1,378,568
BridgeValley Community and Technical College
WV
$1,441,280
Randolph County Housing Authority
WV
$1,440,438
Grants are being awarded to recipients in the Delta Regional Authority area as follows:
Recipient
State
Amount
Alabama Department of Commerce
AL
$1,384,792
Arkansas Center for Data Sciences
AR
$1,390,214
South Arkansas Community College
AR
$835,499
Strada Collaborative Inc.
IN
$1,394,534
Workforce Development Board SDA-83 Inc.
LA
$1,394,535
New Orleans Career Center
LA
$1,283,998
NextOp Inc.
LA
$1,143,215
Dream Innovations Inc.
MS
$1,394,535
Mississippi Community College Board
MS
$1,394,535
Delta Health Alliance Inc.
MS
$1,394,196
Ozark Action Inc.
MO
$1,394,535
Southeast Missouri Hospital College of Nursing and Health Sciences
MO
$1,394,535
