DOL Awards $3.1 Million to Benefit Older Workers
The U.S. Department of Labor recently announced that four organizations have been awarded more than $3.1 million to support pilot programs designed to benefit older workers. A range of activities in 16 states will provide older Americans with the skills needed to enter growing industries and better prepare employers for incorporating these workers into their workplaces.
"This $3.1 million investment helps older Americans seeking to stay in the workforce access the skills training they'd like to continue to improve themselves to obtain better opportunities in growing industries," said Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao.
The awards went to the top four of 15 proposals received and are based on a limited competition offered to existing Senior Community Service Employment Program grantees. The recipients are: The Workplace Inc., serving Connecticut; The National Council on Aging, serving California, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia; SER Jobs for Progress National Inc., serving California, Colorado, and Florida; and the AARP Foundation, serving Arizona, Colorado, Florida, New York, and Texas.
Grantees will partner with local entities, including One-Stop Career Centers, employers, community colleges, and other educational institutions, to provide older workers with skills-based job training. Certain programs also will allow participants to earn wages while learning a new career and/or provide both older workers and employers with information and skills training designed to foster productive relationships between the two groups.
For more information, visit www.doleta.gov/seniors.