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The Veterans’ Employment and Training Service, or VETS, published final regulations on priority hiring of veterans and eligible spouses. The new rules appeared in the December 19 Federal Register.

VETS is a division of the U.S. Department of Labor.

The new regulations apply to “any workforce preparation, development or delivery program or service that is directly funded, in whole or in part, by the [U.S.] Department of Labor” as provided by the Jobs for Veterans Act of 2002.

This is especially important since most state departments of labor are funded at least in part by the U.S. Department of Labor. 

“Priority of service is an important acknowledgment of the sacrifices of the men and women who have served in the U.S. armed forces,” said Charles Ciccolella, assistant secretary of labor for VETS. “The department’s strategic vision for priority of service honors veterans and eligible spouses of veterans as our heroes at home, and envisions that the employment and training programs funded by the department, including the workforce investment system, will identify, inform and deliver comprehensive services to veterans and eligible spouses as part of their strategic workforce development activities across the country.”

According to experts at the U.S. Department of Labor, The Veterans’ Benefits, Health Care, and Information Technology Act of 2006 followed up on the (more…)

The US Department of Labor recently announced community-based worker training grants for Arkansas totaling just under $3.5 million. The President’s Community-Based Job Training Grants Initiative awarded $125 million to 69 community colleges across the United States.

The competition was announced in August of 2007, and received 341 applications. The funds go to training facilities and community colleges to aid workers in competing for high-growth industry jobs.

The two Arkansas grants go to (more…)

Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao recently said, “Community colleges are in a unique position to prepare local workers for careers in high-growth industries. The $125 million awarded today will expand enrollment in education and training programs and provide more workers with the skills they need to succeed.”

Secretary Chao was talking about a number of US Department of Labor job-training grants, including two that go to Washington. Community colleges in Bellevue and Bellingham recently received more than $3.6 million to train workers (more…)

Three Minnesota community colleges will receive more than $5 million to train workers in the fastest-growing industries, thanks to recent US Department of Labor grants. The schools beat out more than 200 other applicants to win the highly competitive grants from the ETA, the federal Employee Training Administration.

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Surprisingly, Advanced Manufacturing is one of the fastest-growing industries in Utah and the US. Highly skilled workers in the field command good salaries, and have excellent career growth to supervisory and management positions.

Manufacturing jobs were once considered boring and repetitive. Today, employees are likely to be using delicate equipment to produce highly specialized products.

Manufacturing is growing as fast as other “hot” industries, including biotechnology, healthcare and energy.

In fact, employers have trouble finding enough qualified workers for the manufacturing positions available. That’s why the US Department of Labor recently awarded two grants totaling almost $4 million in Utah. Two community colleges, in partnership with local employers, will train workers with the necessary skills.

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