U.S. Department of Labor announces $220 million competition to fund programs that prepare workers for careers in health care industry

Training in other high growth industries also will be targeted

TOPEKA, Kan. – During a visit to the Shawnee County Community Health Center as a stop on the Obama administration's Rural Tour, Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis today announced a $220 million competition to fund projects that prepare workers for careers in the health care and other high growth industries.

"An important part of our nation's continued economic recovery is ensuring that workers have the necessary skills to enter high growth industries," said Secretary Solis. "Health care continues to offer workers opportunities to enter career-track jobs, earn good wages and make a positive impact on the communities in which they live and work."

The competition announced today will result in grants to fund public entities and private, nonprofit organizations to train individuals for careers in the health care fields of nursing, allied health, long-term care and health information technology. Training also will be provided for careers in other growing industries based on specific regional needs. Approximately $25 million of total funds will be reserved for projects serving communities impacted by automotive industry restructuring.

"Today's announcement is another way that President Obama is making it a priority to get help to auto communities in an efficient and meaningful way," said Dr. Ed Montgomery, executive director of the White House Council on Auto Communities and Workers. "America's auto workers have sacrificed enormously during this economic downturn. These grants will help those auto workers who have been displaced learn valuable new skills, while giving them the support they need to find new employment in high growth and emerging industries."

Grants awarded through this competition will be funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Recovery Act). In an effort to earn the maximum return on each investment, the Labor Department is encouraging prospective grantees to align their proposals with other federal agencies' Recovery Act investments intended to create jobs and promote economic growth. Projects funded through these grants will be conducted in partnership with the public workforce system in order to prepare workers to enter careers in targeted industries.

A notice of the grant solicitation will appear in the July 22 edition of the Federal Register, and it will be available at http://www.doleta.gov/grants/find_grants.cfm and http://www.grants.gov. The notice may be viewed online today at http://www.federalregister.gov/inspection.aspx. For more information on the array of Department of Labor employment and training investments and opportunities, visit http://www.doleta.gov.

To learn more about the Recovery Act and efforts across the country to move the economy forward, visit http://www.Recovery.gov.