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ETA News Release: [02/16/2007]
Contact Name: David James or Peggy Abrahamson
Phone Number: (202) 693-4676 or x7909
Release Number: 07-0255-NAT

U.S. Department of Labor Announces $2.5 Million Competition for Long-Term Care Training

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Labor's Employment and Training Administration (ETA) today announced a grant competition for approximately $2.5 million to be invested in training for the healthcare industry's long-term care sector under the President's High Growth Job Training Initiative.

"Frequent medical advances and the graying of America are signs that the future of healthcare increasingly lies with the caring professionals who work in long-term care," said Assistant Secretary of Labor for Employment and Training Emily Stover DeRocco. "In regions throughout the country, the workforce investment system stands ready to partner with and respond to the needs of long-term care providers."

Awards made through this competition will support industry-driven training solutions that address the long-term care sector's workforce challenges. Chief among them are high turnover rates and the need to build a pipeline of skilled workers for the future. Each solution must take place as part of a regional strategic partnership among long-term care employers, education and training providers, and the workforce investment system, as well as other public and private sector partners who bring critical assets to the table.

Proposed solutions should take full advantage of promising workforce development models, practices, and tools. Solutions must either take an existing model or approach to scale in the region or adapt a solution that has been demonstrated to have positive impact in another region.

A competitive solicitation for grant applications (SGA) appears in today's edition of the Federal Register and can be accessed online through www.doleta.gov/sga/sga.cfm. Prospective applicant conferences will be conducted on March 5, 2007. The competition for grants will remain open through April 5, 2007, with awards to follow. For more information on the Department of Labor's employment and training programs, please visit www.doleta.gov.

The President's High Growth Job Training Initiative is a strategic effort to better prepare workers to take advantage of opportunities in high growth sectors of the American economy. Working with industry leaders, critical workforce gaps and issues are identified and solutions are created in cooperation with employers, educational institutions and the public workforce system. For more information, please visit www.doleta.gov/BRG/JobTrainInitiative/.