Posted on September 28, 2011

Community Colleges Awarded $500 Million in Federal Grants for Job Training, Workforce Development

The Obama administration has announced nearly $500 million in grants to thirty-two community colleges to provide job skills training and workforce development programs for economically displaced workers.

The first round of awards from the four-year, $2 billion Trade Adjustment Assistance Community College and Career Training Grant Program will support partnerships between community colleges and employers aimed at creating pathways to good jobs for the unemployed. Projects include building instructional programs that meet specific industry needs, strengthening technology-enabled learning, and enabling students and workers to access free learning materials online.

Every state will receive at least $2.5 million for community college career training programs through the initiative, which is being implemented and administered by the Department of Labor in coordination with the Department of Education.

"This initiative is about providing access to training that leads to real jobs," said Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis. "These federal grants will enable community colleges, employers and other partners to prepare job candidates, through innovative programs, for new careers in high-wage, high-skills fields, including advanced manufacturing, transportation, health care, and STEM occupations."