Local job hunters who have just about given up got $6.2 million of encouragement Wednesday via a federal grant to help the long-term unemployed find jobs in technology.
The U.S. Department of Labor’s Ready to Work Partnership grant will be used for training and job assistance. Funds will be doled out over four years to the Denver Office of Economic Development, which is working with groups in Adams, Arapahoe, Boulder, Broomfield, Douglas, Jefferson, Larimer, Mesa and Weld counties.
It will take several months before Denver receives the money. But the best way to get notified about training is to sign up at your local workforce center, said Ledy Garcia-Eckstein, senior management analyst at the Denver office.
“Even though this grant won’t be up and running for a few months, there may be other resources to get them what they need now,” Eckstein said.
The group asked for enough money to help 593 workers, which averages to $10,455 per person. But that was just an estimate and many more people could benefit, she added.
“We just asked (our partners) how many people do you think you can train over a four-year period,” Eckstein said. “We were fortunate enough to get the full amount.”
Dubbed the Technology Employment in Colorado Partnership, grant recipients plan to spread the funds to help long-term unemployed or under-employed workers interested in IT or advanced manufacturing jobs. The grant would help fund paid internships, technical training to get certificates and classroom training. Groups also could partner with local tech companies to provide on-the-job training.
Grant partners include the Colorado Urban Workforce Alliance; Workforce Investment Boards serving Arapahoe, Boulder, Denver, Douglas, Jefferson, Larimer and Mesa counties; the Colorado Community College System and Western Colorado Community College.
The long-term unemployed are those who haven’t found work in six months and are registered with the state. In June, there were 8,735 long-term unemployed in the main grant area of Arapahoe, Boulder, Denver, Douglas, Jefferson, Larimer and Mesa counties. Approximately 45 percent hold bachelor’s degrees.
Tamara Chuang: 303-954-1209, tchuang@denverpost.com or
