U.S. Department of Labor Awards Supplemental Employment and Training Services Funding for Eastern Kentucky Dislocated Workers

WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced the award of additional National Dislocated Worker Grant funding of $3,724,200 to the Eastern Kentucky Concentrated Employment Program, Inc. (EKCEP). The funding will provide for the continuation of employment and training services to dislocated workers impacted by layoffs from the coal industry in the eastern portion of Kentucky, including miners affected by the Blackjewel LLC bankruptcy. EKCEP serves a rural population of nearly 500,000 people in 23 counties in the Appalachian mountains of eastern Kentucky.

Supported by the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act of 2014, Dislocated Worker Grants temporarily expand the service capacity of dislocated worker programs at the state and local levels by providing funding assistance in response to large, unexpected economic events that cause significant job losses.

The mission of the Department of Labor is to foster, promote, and develop the welfare of the wage earners, job seekers, and retirees of the United States; improve working conditions; advance opportunities for profitable employment; and assure work-related benefits and rights.