Fund aims to 'alter cycle of unemployment and poverty,' says Department of Labor
The U.S. Department of Labor has recently announced $71 million in funding to provide training and employment assistance to American Indians, Alaska Natives and Native Hawaiians.
As part of the government’s effort to expand opportunities for the said communities, the department seeks to support services to equip individuals with education, job search assistance and occupational skills training “to improve their access to better jobs and increased wages.”
In a media release, the department emphasized that American Indians and Alaska Natives have traditionally faced “higher unemployment rates and lower workforce participation, and attained lower levels of education.” The department added that such situations have been subjecting them to lower wages, fewer career opportunities and a “continued cycle of unemployment and poverty.”
The initiative is administered by the department’s Employment and Training Administration and will support an estimate of 167 grants, ranging from $20,000 to $6 million, to give services under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act’s Indian and Native American programs.
“Once awarded, the grants funded by the Department of Labor’s Indian and Native American programs will deliver resources straight to the organizations – tribal organizations and the tribes themselves – who can best serve their communities,” said U.S. Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh.
“These grants will...
NEW HAVEN — A New Haven man pleaded guilty Friday to making false claims to the IRS after he was accused of fraudulently obtaining nearly $257,000 in COVID-19 relief funds, federal prosecutors sai...