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Alabama Workers Grant

May 23rd, 2007 Posted by Amelia

he importance of maintaining a local workforce competitively trained in today’s job market is imperative. This is exactly the reason the WIRED initiative was developed. WIRED, or Workforce Innovation in Regional Economic Development, awards grants to regions of the nation identified as chronically underdeveloped economically.

Here’s the latest status report on the Alabama workers grant recently announced by the Dept. of Labor. The detailed plan to implement worker training is complete. The plan has been approved, and the U. S. Dept. of Labor has released the remaining $4.5 million in funds. That’s good news for Alabama workers.

The governors of many states supplied competitive data to assist in the identification of these economically depressed areas. A WIRED grant of $5 million has been awarded to Northern Alabama. The Alabama Valley Tri-State Area and Southwestern Alabama will receive similar grants.

“This regional economic development strategy transcends political boundaries to better leverage a region’s assets to help workers succeed in the 21st century worldwide economy,” said Elaine Chao recently. Chao, Secretary for the US Department of Labor, adds, “Investing in area workforces through this collaborative approach will boost entire regions’ economic vitality.” Other regions to benefit from such grants are portions of Puerto Rico, Northern Alabama, Southeastern Michigan, Appalachian Ohio, the Rio Grande Valley in Texas, Southern Tennessee, Southwestern Connecticut, Southeastern Wisconsin, the Wasatch Range in Utah, Northern California, and the Arkansas/Mississippi Delta region.

Northern Alabama will receive an initial award of $500,000 to be used for immediate training with the remaining $4.5 million coming once a regional implementation plan has been developed. The $5 million grant to Northern Alabama is part of a package expected to exceed $65 million. This round of grants follows a first round of grants awarded in 2005 to 13 regions now enjoying signs of economic improvement. The original round of WIRED grants totaled $195 million and was supplemented by smaller awards of $100,000 each for talent development plans in 13 additional areas.

“Strong regional economies that are built on maximizing talent and innovation will be crucial to the nation’s success in the global economy,” Assistant Secretary of Labor for Employment and Training Emily Stover DeRocco said recently.