Ohio Receives $8.5M to Aid Workers, Employers Affected by Virus

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Ohio will receive an $8.5 million Employment Recovery National Dislocated Worker Grant to help re-employ workers who lost their jobs due to the coronavirus and help employers rebuild their workforce.

The funds come from the U.S. Department of Labor. The Ohio Department of Job and Family Services will work with the Governor’s Office of Workforce Transformation to aid Ohioans impacted by the virus.

“These funds will be tremendously helpful in the state’s economic recovery,” said Job and Family Services director Kimberly Hall in a statement. “They will allow us to serve both individuals and employers who were impacted by this emergency, to help them regain their footing and reestablish their economic stability.”

The state agency applied for the grant May 26 and was granted approval June 8. Funds will be distributed to local workforce areas and the Department of Job and Family Services will work with partners to provide outreach to employers and workers who have been laid off.

Allowable services include paid work experience, on-the-job training, customized training, skill improvements and support services, as well as personal protective equipment and supplies needed to keep workspaces safe during the coronavirus pandemic.

Job and Family Services works with local workforce development boards to provide employment and training at 22 comprehensive and 66 affiliate OhioMeansJobs centers. 

Source: Ohio Department of Job and Family Services

Published by The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.