U.S. Department of Labor Grant to Provide Re-employment Assistance
The grant will help workers affected by manufacturing industry layoffs in Wisconsin
The U.S. Department of Labor announced this week that a $471,629 National Emergency Grant would be awarded to approximately 228 workers affected by layoffs at several of Oshkosh Defense’s facilities located in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. Oshkosh Defense is a division of Oshkosh Corp.
“This federal grant will help these workers laid off from the manufacturing industry by providing the retraining and re-employment services that are so crucial to enable them to transition to other growing industries in Wisconsin,” said Portia Wu, assistant secretary of labor for employment and training, in the statement. “Today’s grant will help these workers gain skills and abilities that will allow them to compete for and find jobs in new industries.
The grant was awarded to the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development and will provide the affected workers with access to re-employment services, such as training for occupations in in-demand fields, career counseling and job search assistance. The state and project operator are also collaborating with the United Auto Workers in the delivery of re-employment services provided to the eligible workers.
This comes after workers at Oshkosh Defense were notified by a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act notice that approximately 760 workers would be affected by layoffs. The company manufactures tactical military vehicles, and large cuts in military spending have led to a reduction in Oshkosh Defense’s business.