News Release

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VETS News Release: [07/07/2004]
Contact Name: Mike Biddle
Phone Number: (202) 693-5051

Labor Department Grants of Nearly $380,000 to Help Job-Seeking Veterans in Florida, Oregon and Washington

WASHINGTON—U.S. Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao today announced three grants totaling $377, 677 that will provide training and employment services to veterans in Florida, Oregon and Washington.

“These grants provide support for veterans looking for good jobs,” said Secretary of Labor Chao. “These men and women served their country proudly. President Bush and I are committed to ensuring that every veteran who wants a job can find one, and that no veteran is left behind.”

The grantees are First Coast Workforce Development, Inc., of Orange Park, Fla., receiving $85,800; County of Clackamus, Marylhurst, Ore., receiving $195,609; and State of Washington, Department of Veterans Affairs, Olympia, Wash., receiving $96,268.

The Department of Labor’s (DOL) Veterans Employment and Training Services is awarding these grants through the Workforce Investment Act’s Veterans’ Workforce Investment Program (VWIP).

Targeted veterans include those recently separated, those who served in a military campaign or war, and those who sustained an injury while on active duty. Also included are veterans identified as having significant barriers to employment, including ex-offenders and the homeless. At the local level, officials may expand the definition of significant barriers to include veterans who are older, female or Native American.

These grants are designed to help veterans overcome employment barriers and ease their transition into unsubsidized employment. Training and placement programs are developed and operated by an entity designated by the governor of each state receiving a grant.

Through these programs, veterans will have access to skills assessment, individual job counseling, labor market information, classroom or on-the-job training, skills upgrading and retraining, and placement services. Veterans receiving assistance under VWIP may also be eligible for services under other Workforce Investment Act programs that serve economically disadvantaged or dislocated workers.

For more information on DOL’s unemployment and re-employment programs, go to www.dol.gov.

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