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Arizona Unemployment Grant

May 31st, 2007 Posted by Amelia

Each territory or state governor received a letter from the Dept of Labor in which the procedure for applying for a WIRED grant was detailed after the US Secretary of Labor, Elaine L Chao announced the release of the third generation of the WIRED unemployment grants. When speaking about these grants Chao said, “The Wired initiative recognizes that local economies often do not neatly conform to geographical boundaries.”

Briefly the procedures for submitting an application for a grant are,

Each region competing for a WIRED grant must show that they can match the Dept of Labor’s investment with other funds from private, regional or state funding.

Each region can apply for up to $5 million.
Governors can submit up to two applications.

Competition for WIRED grants is fierce, and an Arizona unemployment grant would be great news for those who reside throughout the state. It would be particularly welcome in any area where unemployment is traditionally higher.

WIRED is the affectionate term for Workforce Innovation in Regional Economic Development Initiative. Regions who win one of these grants can expect their economy to be stimulated, resulting in the elimination of the pockets of high unemployment.

In February 2006, thirteen regions were selected to receive such transformations, so it is easy to see why competition for the WIRED grants is so high. But the rewards of winning a grant are just as high.

In the light of the recent national unemployment figures, some would question the need for the WIRED unemployment grants. At the moment, the national figures stand at around 4%. Economists usually class any figure under 5% as a labor shortage. For workers who are highly skilled or have a college education the figure is lower, at around 1.9%. But it should be remembered that there are areas of the United States that have a tradition of high unemployment and it is for these regions that the WIRED grants are intended.