US Department of Labor announces $7.5M award for continued support for temporary employment, workforce training after Hurricane Ian

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced the incremental award of $7.5 million in funding to support continued disaster-relief employment and workforce training for eligible residents in Florida as the state continues to recover following Hurricane Ian. 

The funding adds to the $15 million initially awarded by the department in October 2022 for the Florida Department of Commerce to provide people with temporary employment for debris removal, humanitarian assistance and clean-up work. Funds also support career and training services for area workers.

Hurricane Ian made landfall in September 2022, as a Category 4 hurricane along Florida’s southwest coast, bringing high winds, storm surges and massive flooding. The Federal Emergency Management Agency issued a major disaster declaration on Sept. 29, 2022, enabling requests for federal assistance for recovery efforts. 

Administered by the department’s Employment and Training Administration – and supported by the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act of 2014 – National Dislocated Worker Grants provide funding assistance to temporarily expand the service capacity of dislocated worker programs at the state and local levels when large, unexpected economic events cause significant job losses.