US Labor Department awards up to $5.8M to assist with clean-up, recovery efforts in Tennessee after wildfires in late 2016

State: Tennessee

Type of Award: National Dislocated Worker Grant

Award Amount Approved: $5,824,000

Initial Amount Released: $2,000,000

Funding Awarded to: Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development

Number of Workers Served: Approximately 200

Use of Funds: The U.S. Department of Labor approved a National Dislocated Worker Grant award for $5,824,000, with $2 million released initially, to the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development to create disaster relief employment for individuals to assist with clean-up and recovery efforts following wildfires that occurred from Nov. 28 to Dec. 15, 2016, in the state’s Sevier county.

Background: Supported by the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act of 2014, National Dislocated Worker Grants temporarily expand the service capacity of dislocated worker training and employment programs at the state and local levels by providing funding assistance in response to large, unexpected economic events which cause significant job losses. The grants generally provide resources to states and local workforce investment boards to reemploy laid-off workers quickly by offering training to increase occupational skills.