Perry County News
Indianapolis – The Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs announced the eight communities that will share in a $2 million grant through the Work Force Development Program.
Those awarded funds include Grant, Howard, Knox, Martin, Starke, Steuben, Perry (Tell City) and Whitley counties, which will each receive $250,000 in grant funding for the implementation of new training programs to address the skills needs of the local workforce within the community or region.
“WDP encourages continued economic growth by equipping our cities and towns with the resources needed to develop and maintain a high quality workforce both now and in the future,” said Bill Konyha, OCRA executive director. “We look forward to the partnership with communities across Indiana as we work together to ensure there is a skilled workforce; a key element in ensuring our communities are relevant and thriving in the 21st century.”
The WDP program is funded through the federal Community Development Block Grant with the goal of bolstering workforce development as a long-term economic development strategy. Eligible activities range from sector based strategies that focus on specific industry needs (i.e. welding, heavy equipment operator, etc) to problem-focused strategies (i.e. life skills, interviewing, basic math, etc.) to implementation measures.
In late July, OCRA hosted a workshop to introduce the new program, which outlined goals, anticipated outcomes and the importance of partnerships in the process, as well as eligibility requirements and detailed application information. Local economic development organizations, chamber of commerce members, school corporations, community foundations and businesses interested in advancing the skills of local citizens were present at the workshop.
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