US Department of Labor announces $29M in grants for job training, supportive services in Appalachian region, Lower Mississippi Delta

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor, in partnership with the Appalachian Regional Commission and the Delta Regional Authority, today announced the award of $29,175,000 in grants to 23 organizations to provide employment and training services to regional and local workforces.

Administered by the department’s Employment and Training Administration, the third round of Workforce Opportunity for Rural Communities Initiative grants – ranging from $500,000 to $1.5 million – will fund projects to invest in education, training and career support services in the Appalachian and Delta regions. Recipients will provide services to dislocated workers; new entrants to the workforce, including students or the long-term unemployed; incumbent workers looking to improve their career prospects; and individuals affected by substance use.

“These Workforce Opportunity for Rural Communities Initiative grants demonstrate the Biden-Harris administration’s commitment to supporting the long-term economic stability and opportunities for workers in rural communities, especially those connected to the energy industry, across the Appalachian and Lower Mississippi Delta regions,” said Acting Assistant Secretary of the Employment and Training Administration Angela Hanks. “These investments alongside our federal partners link economic and workforce development to support equity, quality jobs and economic prosperity for residents in these regions in this recovery and beyond.”

“It is imperative to prioritize education, training, and career support for rural Appalachians in order to bring the region to parity with the rest of the country,” said Appalachian Regional Commission Federal Co-Chair Gayle Conelly Manchin. “The latest round of Workforce Opportunity for Rural Communities grants will help give workers in distressed communities the resources they need to increase their career opportunities. In doing so, this will reignite Appalachian economies and create results that will reverberate throughout the whole region for years to come.”

“The WORC initiative continues to impact economic growth in Delta communities by providing the necessary resources to create a more prosperous future,” said Delta Regional Authority Interim Chief of Staff Kemp Morgan. “The U.S. Department of Labor’s investment will enable 12 innovative training programs throughout the region to prepare hundreds of Delta residents for high quality careers in high-demand industries such as aerospace and defense manufacturing, agricultural technology and renewable energy.”

Authorized by the Workforce Opportunity and Innovation Act, WORC grants allow recipients to help their communities diversify their local economies by developing a skilled workforce and providing equitable access to marginalized communities. WORC grants also aim to address the impacts of economic transition on communities previously reliant on energy-related employment.  

The department awarded WORC grants totaling nearly $58.4 million in Sept. 2019 and Sept. 2020

The ARC and DRA grant recipients are as follows: 

Funding for this recipient will benefit residents in several Delta Regional Authority counties.