New York gets $6.2 million federal grant for training programs for the unemployed

The federal government has awarded New York a grant of nearly $6.2 million to help the unemployed re-enter the workforce.

The New York State Department of Labor will administer the Job-Driven National Emergency Grant, which pays for training programs for unemployed workers pursuing jobs in high-demand industries, Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s office said in a news release.

The U.S. Department of Labor on April 28 announced the availability of up to $150 million in funding through the new grant program to train workers who have lost their jobs through “no fault of their own,” according to its website.

The grant will create and expand business partnerships and pay for on-the-job training, apprenticeships, and customized training.

The funding will also benefit job-placement services to help connect unemployed people to available jobs.

“By supporting work-based training models in high-demand sectors, this funding will best serve the skills needs of businesses and help address barriers to re-employment. I encourage all businesses to learn more about how they can take advantage of this great financial assistance,” Peter Rivera, state Labor Commissioner, said in the news release

Since October 2010, grant awards for New York totaling $9.8 million in on-the-job training funds have helped 688 businesses hire and train more than 1,400 workers, Cuomo’s office contended.

The state Labor Department will target the funding to help the long-term unemployed, unemployment beneficiaries likely to exhaust benefits, veterans, and foreign-trained immigrant-worker populations find jobs, Cuomo said.

The grant will complement Cuomo’s Unemployment Strikeforce, a new campaign his office announced in May, to target areas of the state with the highest unemployment rates to try to boost employment.

In partnership with the state Labor Department, Empire State Development, and other public and private partners, the campaign will strategically augment services in Bronx, Jefferson, Lewis and Kings counties through the end of 2014.

Contact Reinhardt at ereinhardt@cnybj.com