Dive Brief:
- The U.S. Department of Labor is supporting training in rural communities across the Appalachian, Delta and Northern Border regions with more than $81.5 million in grant funding, according to a Friday news release.
- The funds are intended to “address the critical workforce needs of employers in high-growth and emerging industries” in the region, per the release. Targeted sectors include skilled trades and construction, healthcare, information technology, manufacturing, domestic energy production, and business and professional services.
- The grants support industry-driven training initiatives, including Registered Apprenticeships, and are aimed at helping new and dislocated workers, the release said. In addition, funding will be directed toward upskilling people currently in the workforce who want to learn new skills.
Dive Insight:
This is the seventh funding round for the Workforce Opportunity for Rural Communities program, which supports 13 projects across 11 states and is intended to increase employment opportunities and encourage wage growth. Funds are administered by DOL’s Employment and Training Administration and are designed to encourage economic mobility, self-sufficiency and increased labor force participation throughout the targeted areas.
“These grants ensure those in our rural communities have a pathway to the training they need for in-demand jobs that feed a family and strengthen our supply chains,” Secretary of Labor Keith Sonderling said in a statement.
Through these grants, regional employers could become better equipped to compete economically, the release said. The funding is also designed to enable residents to “obtain or retain family-sustaining employment opportunities so they can remain and thrive in their communities.”
The WORC Initiative works in partnership with the Appalachian Regional Commission, the Delta Regional Authority and the Northern Border Regional Commission.
Earlier this year, the U.S. government announced other initiatives intended to address workforce gaps in critical infrastructure sectors and regionally relevant fields, including the shipbuilding, defense industrial base and emerging technology sectors.
In April 2025, President Donald Trump signed an executive order directing the secretaries of Labor, Education and Commerce to submit a plan designed to “reach and surpass 1 million new active apprentices.”