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Archived News Release--Caution:
information may be out of date.
For more information call: (202) 219- 6871.
The U.S. Department of Labor is awarding a $17 million
defense conversion assistance grant for 2,700 dislocated workers at the
Philadelphia Naval Shipyard and Base, Secretary of Labor Robert B. Reich
announced today. The base is being closed on the recommendation of the Base
Realignment and Closure Commission.
"This grant illustrates the importance of the federal role
in workforce development," said Reich. "If all dislocated worker funds are
dispensed as block grants -- as some in Congress have proposed -- the U.S.
Department of Labor would not have the flexibility or the financial resources
to respond to urgent situations, such as military base closings, or natural
disasters, when they arise."
The grant, authorized under the Job Training Partnership
Act, will provide a number of services including assessment, job search
assistance, remedial education, vocational classroom training, as well as
supportive services such as day care and transportation assistance,
needs-related payments and emergency health care.
If a commercial shipbuilding firm develops the Philadelphia
Naval Shipyard, these funds could be used to retrain workers for high-skill,
high-wage jobs that development could bring.
The project announced today will be operated by the Private
Industry Council of Philadelphia and will serve workers from Southeast
Pennsylvania, as well as from parts of New Jersey and Delaware.
This is the third grant given to the Pennsylvania
Department of Labor and Industry to assist workers at the shipyard. It brings
the total funding for shipyard workers to $28.15 million and the total number
of workers assisted to 4,750.
The dislocated worker program is a comprehensive approach
to assist workers who have been, or are about to be, laid off for reasons such
as technological change, foreign competition or government actions.
Archived News Release--Caution:
information may be out of date.
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