The U.S. Department of Labor made an exciting announcement on July 14 for those who are interested in pursuing a career in the health care field and other fast-growing fields. As part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, $220 million will be available in the form of competitive grants to help start training people for jobs in the health care industry as well as in other high-growth areas, such as advanced manufacturing and technology.

According to Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis, the grants will be used to help fund private non-profit organizations as well as local public entities that develop employment placement service projects and training programs. As such, applicants for these grants can include any of the following:

· Community organizations
· Education and training providers
· Faith-based organizations
· Healthcare providers
· Labor organizations
· Workforce Investment Boards

According to Solis, providing funding in these areas will help the economy and the nation in a number of ways. Not only is there a need for more qualified workers in this area, she also maintains that careers in these fields help to provide workers with enough wages to support their families. In addition, she says that the grants “will help a diverse group of workers in communities across the country gain the skills needed to get good jobs in promising industries.”

The distribution of these grants will be overseen by the Employment and Training Administration, which expects to fund a total of about 45 to 65 grants with each being valued at anywhere fro $2 million to $5 million. These grants will be targeted toward helping people who are unemployed as well as incumbent workers and those who have been dislocated. Some of those who will be specifically targeted with the grants include:

· Those who are on public assistance
· High school dropouts
· Disabled workers
· Veterans
· Native Americans
· Those with limited English proficiency

About $25 million worth of the funding is being set aside to provide assistance in areas that have been impacted by automotive industry restructuring. This way, autoworkers will be able to obtain the new skills they need to land a job in a different industry.
The selection process will also take into consideration a number of other factors in an effort to maintain a geographical balance as well as a balance between urban and rural settings.