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ETA News Release: [06/14/2004]
Contact Name: Lorette Post
Phone Number: (202) 693-3984

U.S. Labor Secretary Elaine L. Chao Announces $4.7 Million in Grants to Aid Dislocated Workers in Massachusetts

WASHINGTON—U.S. Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao today announced four National Emergency Grants totaling $4,697,301 to aid dislocated workers in Massachusetts. The grants, awarded to the Massachusetts Department of Workforce Development, will provide assistance to approximately 2,100 workers in Middlesex, Essex and Bristol Counties.

“The unemployment rate in Massachusetts has dropped from 5.8 to 4.8 percent over the last year,” said Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao. “This is good news, but we want to be sure that no worker is left behind. This $4.7 million in funding will provide a wide array of retraining and employment-related assistance to workers who still need help as they transition to new careers.”

A grant of up to nearly $2.6 million, with an initial release of about $1.3 million, will serve laid off workers from Level 3 Communications in Woburn. The grant will provide assistance to approximately 400 workers in Middlesex and Essex Counties. A second grant of a little over $1 million will provide assistance to 150 Essex County workers dislocated from Citicorp Credit Services, Inc., in Salem.

A third grant of $530,420 will help approximately 1,300 Essex County workers dislocated from Lucent Technologies in North Andover. Approximately 250 Bristol County workers dislocated from two companies in Fall River—Main Street Textiles and Teleflex—will get aid through the final grant of $499,069.

The grants will enable workers to access re-employment services including assessment, individual counseling, career planning, employment development, occupational skills training, on-the-job training, entrepreneurial training and job-readiness training. Supportive services may include childcare, transportation assistance and job-related certifications, uniforms and equipment.

National Emergency Grants are part of the Secretary’s discretionary fund. A grant is awarded after a state submits a request and the grant guidelines have been met.

For more information on the Department of Labor’s employment and training programs, please go to www.doleta.gov.

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