WASHINGTON – The six New England states will receive more than $144 million in federal stimulus funds to help put their residents back to work, the U.S. Department of Labor announced.
Rhode Island will receive the region’s third-largest work force investment, of $17.16 million, while Massachusetts will receive the largest, nearly $64.20 million. Connecticut will be No. 2 in the region, with $34.75 million; Maine will be No. 4, with $12.81 million; New Hampshire will be No. 5, with $8.27 million; and Vermont will receive $7.19 million.
“In his recent address to the nation, President [Barack] Obama asked every American to commit to at least one year or more of higher education or career training,” noted U.S. Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis, who during a pre-confirmation hearing in January before the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, had pledged to expand job-search and skills training to help combat the nation’s mounting job losses. “This significant investment in employment and training presents a tremendous opportunity for workers and employers across the country.”
Nationwide, her department will invest more than $3.51 billion in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) funds to support employment and training programs through the national One-Stop Career Center network. The new funding specifically targets low-income, low-skilled Americans, the Labor Department said. It will supplement selected employment and training programs authorized by the U.S. Workforce Investment Act of 1998 (WIA) and the Wagner-Peyser Act, including summer youth-jobs programs.
“Through One-Stop Career Centers,” Solis said, “unemployed, underemployed and dislocated workers can access career counseling, skill assessment, job-search assistance, training and other services to upgrade their skills and find new jobs.”
Rhode Island’s allocation includes $7.95 million for WIA programs assisting dislocated workers; $5.61 million for youth and $2.11 million for adult WIA activities; and $1.50 million for Wagner-Peyser employment services. Massachusetts’ funding includes $21.22 million for WIA dislocated-worker programs; $24.84 million for youth and $10.07 million for adult WIA activities; and $8.06 million for employment services.
To access local job-search and career-planning resources, or to find a career center near you, visit the netWORKri One-Stop Career Center System at www.netWORKri.org or the Mass. One-Stop Career Center System at www.mass.gov. Online resources to support job searches, career exploration, education and training also are available from the nationwide network at CareerOneStop.org.
Information about U.S. Department of Labor training and employment initiatives – including work force development programs financed via the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) – is available from the from the department’s Employment and Training Administration (ETA) at www.doleta.gov. Additional information about the federal government’s financial stabilization efforts is available at www.recovery.gov.
Additional labor-market information and assistance is available from the R.I. Department of Labor and Training (DLT) at www.dlt.ri.gov and the Mass. Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development (EOLWD) at mass.gov/eolwd.
