The U.S. Department of Labor announced on March 11 that it has awarded $2 million to the Kentucky Department of Workforce Development to provide employment and training services for individuals in 25 counties affected by recent mass layoffs and plant closures.
According to the department, between August 2025 and March 2026, mass layoffs at Akebono Brake Corp., BlueOval SK, Fritz Winter North America LP, Kentucky Cooperage LP, Moveret Inc., and Russellville Engineered Castings Inc. have impacted a total of 2,414 workers. The department said that the local labor market has limited capacity to absorb these workers into similar jobs due to the significant number of layoffs at major manufacturing and advanced production facilities.
The grant is administered by the Employment and Training Administration as a National Dislocated Worker Grant. It will enable the Kentucky Department of Workforce Development to offer retraining and skills development services for dislocated workers seeking assistance in Allen, Barren, Breckinridge, Bullitt, Butler, Edmonson, Grayson, Hardin, Hart, Henry, Jefferson, LaRue, Logan, Marion, Meade, Metcalfe, Monroe, Nelson, Oldham, Shelby, Simpson, Spencer, Trimble, Warren and Washington counties.
National Dislocated Worker Grants are supported by the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act of 2014. These grants provide state or local boards with funding for direct services in areas experiencing major economic dislocation events that lead to workforce needs exceeding available resources. On August 24, 2022, the Department of Labor announced $3.4 million Women in Apprenticeship and Nontraditional Occupations grants administered by the department’s Women’s Bureau and Employment and Training Administration. Phoenix, Arizona has been awarded $542,358 through the Fresh Start Women’s Foundation.
More information about this grant award can be found on the official roster page.
