The U.S. Department of Labor has awarded $81.5 million in workforce training grants to 13 projects across 11 states, directing federal funding toward rural communities where employers face shortages of skilled workers.
The awards, announced Friday, October 16, will support training programs across the Appalachian, Delta and Northern Border regions, according to the department’s official announcement.
The funding is part of the seventh round of the Workforce Opportunity for Rural Communities (WORC) initiative, administered by the Labor Department’s Employment and Training Administration.
The latest round represents a substantial increase over the previous awards. Federal program records show that the sixth round provided approximately $48.9 million to 35 projects in 2024, compared with $81.5 million for 13 projects this year.
Based on those figures, Investozora calculates that total funding increased by approximately 66.7%, even as the number of awards declined by nearly 63%. That means the latest round concentrates more federal funding in fewer projects rather than distributing smaller grants among a larger number of recipients.
The largest individual award went to United Steelworkers Local 689 in Ohio, which received $8 million. JobForward Inc. in Vermont received $7,999,999, while Tri County Jobs for Ohio’s Graduates was awarded approximately $7.99 million.
Other major recipients include Delta Health Alliance in Mississippi, which received approximately $7.99 million, and the New River Mount Rogers Workforce Investment Area Consortium in Virginia, awarded a similar amount.
Tuskegee University in Alabama received $7.5 million, while the Arkansas Rural Health Partnership was awarded approximately $6.13 million. The complete recipient list also includes organizations in Kentucky, Missouri, New York, Tennessee and West Virginia.
The grants are intended to help employers recruit and retain workers while expanding access to training in industries with growing demand for specialized skills.
The department identified skilled trades, construction, healthcare, information technology, manufacturing, domestic energy production, and business and professional services as areas of focus.
The investment also comes against a changing national employment backdrop. Recent job openings data showed declining vacancies, although national figures do not establish the specific hiring conditions facing employers in the rural communities receiving grants.
Training may include Registered Apprenticeships, which combine structured occupational instruction with paid work experience. The programs are designed to serve new workers, people who have lost jobs and existing employees who need additional skills.
Acting Labor Secretary Keith Sonderling said the grants would help rural residents obtain training for in-demand jobs while supporting employers and domestic supply chains.
The initiative operates through partnerships with the Appalachian Regional Commission, Delta Regional Authority and Northern Border Regional Commission, which serve economically distressed communities across their respective regions.
The WORC initiative began awarding grants in 2019 and expanded to include the Northern Border region in its fifth funding round in 2023. Across seven rounds, the department reports approximately $289.5 million in cumulative awards covering 174 projects.
The latest awards account for approximately 28.2% of that cumulative funding, according to Investozora’s calculation using the department’s published figures.
However, the announced funding does not establish how many workers will complete training, secure employment or achieve higher wages. Those outcomes depend on how individual recipients implement their programs and measure results.
The distinction is particularly important when interpreting broader labor market trends. Federal grants can expand training capacity, but they do not independently demonstrate that employers are increasing hiring or that participants will obtain jobs.
For rural job seekers, the immediate significance is the allocation of funding to organizations that can develop local training opportunities. The announcement itself does not establish that enrollment has opened at every recipient organization.
Employers and prospective participants will need project-specific information from grant recipients to determine which occupations, locations and eligibility requirements apply.
The distinction matters because federal grant awards establish financial support for workforce programs, not guaranteed jobs or immediate access to training for every resident of the states receiving funds.
