US Department of Labor awards $800K in funding for reemployment services for Massachusetts workers displaced by three Essex County closures

WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced the award of $800,000 of incremental funding to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts to support employment and training services for individuals affected by the closure of three manufacturing companies in Essex County.

Administered by the department’s Employment and Training Administration, this incremental award is part of National Dislocated Worker Grant funding of up to $1.8 million available for use by the commonwealth’s Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development. The grant will provide services for Trade Adjustment Assistance program and non-TAA workers to prepare them for future employment. Closures of Southwick, Philips North America and 3M Touch Systems in the Lower Merrimack Valley led to the displacement of approximately 675 workers between March 2020 and March 2021.

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.