The U.S. Department of Labor collaborated with the Appalachian Regional Commission and the Delta Regional Authority to announce grants totaling $34.4 million in areas that have seen significant job losses in the energy extraction sector.
The grants will fund education, training and supportive services, according to a Sept. 20 news release.
“The Workforce Opportunity for Rural Communities Initiative provides grants to engage local communities and help build pathways for workers to good-paying jobs,” Acting Assistant Secretary for Employment and Training Brent Parton said, according to the release.
The awards are a sign of the Biden-Harris administration’s commitment that disadvantaged communities realize benefits from its investments in clean energy, training and workforce development, the release reported.
Workers in America’s distressed communities will get the resources necessary to enhance their career opportunities from this round of funding from Workforce Opportunity for Rural Communities grants, Appalachian Regional Commission Federal Co-Chair Gayle Manchin said in the release.
“In doing so, this will reignite Appalachian economies and create results that will reverberate throughout the whole region for years to come,” she said, the release reported.
Delta Regional Authority Federal Co-Chairman Corey Wiggins said a key tool for rural communities to realize economic growth is an investment in workforce development, according to the release.
