John Rossheim, Senior writer for Monster.com, writes that billions of dollars allocated for job training and retraining opportunities may be available at our local One-Stop Career Centers.
“New funding for workforce training and development is about $4 billion -- a huge amount,” says Julian Alssid, executive director of the Workforce Strategy Center, a workforce development think tank in New York City. “The stimulus money is being pushed out very rapidly.”
The major ARRA provisions that will beef up training include:
- $1.25 billion for dislocated adult workers, such as those laid off or who have received advanced notice of a factory closing.
- $1.2 billion for dislocated youth workers.
- $500 million in state grants for employment services, mainly for low-income adults.
- $500 million to fund training for sustainable energy jobs.
Funding for workforce training is seen as more than a stopgap. “The public is investing in the worker,” says Chris Stiehl, a consultant who has researched the Workforce Investment Act since it was enacted in 1998. “We’re now going to be able to reach out and train more people and make them more competitive in the workforce.”
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