The U.S. Department of Labor has launched a $220 million competitive grant program aimed at training new workers for health care and other high-growth industries.

Funded with dollars from the Recovery Act and administered by DOL’s Employment and Training Administration (ETA), the program will provide grants for both public and private nonprofit entities in order to train individuals for careers in nursing, allied health, long-term care, and health information technology, as well as other high-growth industries based on regional needs. 

A DOL fact sheet (pdf) accompanying the launch explicitly identified long-term care as one of the health care subsectors for which the department “is particularly interested in receiving [grant] applications,” and indicated the program’s significance for the long-term care workforce:

DOL ETA is interested in projects that provide training for and support educational paths to careers in long‐term care occupations, which include CNAs, home health aides, home and personal care workers, direct support professionals and RNs working in long‐term care settings.

A notice of the grant solicitation (pdf) appeared in the July 22 edition of the Federal Register and includes further details about application procedures. The deadline for grant applications is October 5, 2009. By August 12, 2009, DOL will post a pre-recorded webinar at workforce3one.org to assist potential applicants.

In a published statement, Labor Secretary Hilda Solis explained the program’s central focus on health care by pointing out that since “An important part of our nation’s continued economic recovery is ensuring that workers have the necessary skills to enter high growth industries,” health care deserves special emphasis since it “continues to offer workers opportunities to enter career-track jobs, earn good wages and make a positive impact on the communities in which they live and work.”

“PHI is pleased that the DOL is explicitly soliciting grant proposals to support training and career advancement programs for direct-care workers,” said Steve Edelstein, national policy director for PHI. “Direct-care is one of the fastest-growing occupations in the country. Improving the quality of these jobs with appropriate training and supports will attract new workers and improve employment opportunities in some of America’s most marginalized communities.”

For more information on this and other funds available through the government’s economic recovery program, visit PHI’s Guide to Accessing Recovery Funds.