What Happened?
Cities and states are utilizing a variety of funding opportunities to spur collaboration between public agencies and private sector employers to strengthen workforce development.
Business-Education Partnership Grants
The Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry recently awarded $1.6 million in Business-Education Partnership Program grants to better connect local businesses with school districts in an effort to improve workforce development. The 15 recipients of the partnership program grants will use the funding to promote job opportunities and career pathways to increase awareness of in-demand technical careers in local economies.
Through the partnership program, schools and employers provide students with career-related experiences and exposure opportunities through:
- Soft skills development
- Internships
- Workplace shadowing
- Career mentoring
The goal of the partnership grant program is to engage more students in technical careers required by local employers and provide the necessary skills to acquire these positions. The state is funding the program with a portion of the Workforce Investment Act discretionary monies. Pennsylvania set aside $2.2 million of Workforce Investment Act funding for the program, allowing for the state to award grants of $100,000 and $200,000 to the 15 awardees.
Microloan Program
The South Carolina Association for Community Economic Development recently launched a microenterprise funding program that provides small businesses and startups with seed funding in the form of $10,000 loans. All applying organizations must have five or fewer employees to be eligible for funding through the competitive grant program.
The goal of the microenterprise funding initiative is to foster small startups throughout the state. These enterprises should use the grants to:
- Create jobs
- Enhance entrepreneurial skills and abilities
- Help low-income households become self-sufficient
The state allocates seed funding capital to local organizations which then launch their own microlending programs in the community. The program offers startups with a variety of resources aside from just small loans such as business training and coaching. The $10,000 loans should be used for equipment, inventory, lease improvements and working capital.
Transitional Workforce Grants
The U.S. Department of Labor, Department of Commerce and the Small Business Administration are working with the Appalachian Regional Commission to help connect local workers with job opportunities in communities affected by changes in the coal industry and energy sector. About $35 million will be available from the agency collaboration to support the Appalachian Regional Commission’s initiative through the Partnerships for Opportunity and Workforce and Economic Revitalization program (POWER). The overall goal of the funding program is to help local workers adapt to changes in the coal industry and power sectors in which they work.
The funding will help create cohesive relationships between federal, state and local economic agencies working together to create a comprehensive approach to economic diversification and worker advancement in struggling communities. Funds will help communities organize themselves to respond on behalf of affected workers and businesses, develop comprehensive strategic plans that chart their economic future and executive coordinated activities that seek to:
- Diversify economies
- Create new jobs in new or existing industries
- Attract new sources of job-creating investment
- Provide a range of workforce services and skills training
The program emphasizes broad community partnerships that integrate economic development and workforce development solutions into all strategies. Therefore, funds will go toward partnerships of regionally-driven economic development and workforce development organizations in communities directly impacted by the coal industry.
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