The Employment and Training Administration (ETA), in partnership with the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) and Delta Regional Authority (DRA), have announced the awarding of round three of the Workforce Opportunity for Rural Communities (WORC) Initiative grants.

Round Three funding builds on previous rounds of WORC grants and funds projects supporting rural communities in aligning workforce development efforts with economic development plans, serving the following areas hard-hit by economic transition and recovering slowly in the Appalachian and the Lower Mississippi Delta Regions.

WORC Round Three grants encourage strategies designed to achieve economic opportunity and address historical inequities, especially in Energy Communities; such strategies include:

  • Addressing the transformation in energy production by including Energy Communities that currently or historically have had a high concentration of employment in energy extraction and related industries; 
  • Promoting racial equity through adjustments in recruitment, service design, implementation, and support services that aim to provide equitable access and positive outcomes to communities of color, immigrants, and other marginalized groups;
  • Supporting eligible individuals impacted by substance use disorder; and
  • Demonstrating flexible approaches to service delivery to allow for in-person, virtual, socially-distanced, or hybrid models of services and training.

 

View the awards and grantees in the table below for additional information.

 

WORC 3 Award Recipients
GRANTEE (STATE) AWARD
West Alabama Chamber Foundation (AL) $973,709
Advocates for Community and Rural Education (AR) $1,055,250
Arkansas Rural Health Partnership (AR) $1,500,000
Southern Arkansas University Tech (AR) $1,495,154
University of Arkansas Community College at Batesville (AR) $1,075,943
Save the Children Federation, Inc. (AR/KY/LA/MS/TN/WV) $1,500,000
Northeast Kentucky Regional Health Information Organization (KY) $1,039,609
Volunteers of America Mid-States, Inc. (VOA-MID) (KY) $1,499,099
KCTCS Madisonville Community College (MCC) (KY) $1,141,420
Herzing University (LA) $1,500,000
Institute for Indian Development (LA) $500,000
Louisiana State University at Eunice (LA) $846,239
River Parishes Community College (RPCC) (LA) $1,499,883
Southeastern Louisiana University (LA) $1,499,902
Haywood Community College (NC) $1,196,909
McDowell Technical Community College (MTCC) (NC) $1,498,614
Research Foundation of the State University of New York (NY) $1,484,675
Corporation for Ohio Appalachian Development (COAD) (OH) $1,460,073
Muskingum University (OH) $970,227
Ohio Valley Employment Resource (OH) $1,451,193
Marshall University Research Corporation (OH/KY/WV) $1,499,410
Pennsylvania State University – University Park (PA) $1,500,000
Roane State Community College (RSCC) (TN) $987,691