WASHINGTON, D.C.—U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) today announced that Ohio will receive $153,073,770 in funds for job training and employment services. The federal funds, which have been released to Ohio from the economic recovery package, will be used to help dislocated workers find jobs and to provide employment and training services to youth and adults.
“These funds are an investment in Ohio workers,” said Brown. “Too many Ohioans have seen their jobs shipped overseas due to wrong-headed economic policies. These funds will prepare Ohio workers for jobs of the 21st century and connect dislocated workers with new employment opportunities.”
The funds will provide several categories of job training and related services to unemployed and underemployed individuals through One-Stop Career Centers:
• $15,017,635 for general employment and training services: Funds will provide increased training to individuals for high-demand occupations and will facilitate partnerships between workforce investment boards and institutions of higher education.
• $23,386,373 for adult employment services: Funds will provide targeted, supportive services to meet the training and employment needs of public assistance recipients and other low-income individuals.
• $56,158,510 in funds for youth employment services: Funds will be used to create summer employment opportunities for youth while also targeting young adults (up to age 24) who have become disconnected from both education and the job market.
• $58,511, 252 for dislocated worker services: Funds will provide training and related services to workers who have lost their jobs and are unlikely to return to similar jobs in the future.
Brown has been a leading advocate in Congress for job training and employment services, particularly workforce funds targeted to communities facing massive job loss and economic distress. He helped secure more than $50 million in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act for the Economic Development Administration (EDA) to assist areas of the nation, like Wilmington, Ohio, that are facing sudden and severe job loss and economic distress due to corporate restructurings. In February, Brown introduced legislation that would streamline and accelerate federal assistance to communities undergoing extreme economic distress.
Brown also successfully secured an additional $2.4 million in funds for Ohio job training and workforce development programs in the recently enacted Omnibus Appropriations Act of 2009. Read more about these funds here.
The $153 million in funds from the economic recovery legislation has been awarded to the Ohio Department of Jobs and Family Services, which will in turn allocate the funds through a formula to labor exchange and one-stop centers.
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