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$400,000 Awarded to New Mexico for On-The-Job Training

NMDWS receives funding to assist employers and dislocated workers

For Immediate

August 22, 2012

 

Contact: Joy Forehand

505.841.8450

 

(Albuquerque) – The New Mexico Department of Workforce Solutions has been awarded $400,000 in funding from the U.S. Department of Labor (USDOL) for On-the-Job Training (OJT) opportunities in New Mexico. The benefits of the funding are twofold because employers can benefit from reduced hiring and training costs for new employees, and dislocated workers, who have collected unemployment benefits for a minimum of 21.5 weeks, have the opportunity to build their network and gain valuable work experience as they reenter the workforce.

“This grant awarded to the Department of Workforce Solutions comes at an opportune time in our state when the focus is rebuilding our economy,” Governor Susana Martinez said. “This effort is one of many in the Department that focuses on raising the skill level of our workforce to meet the needs of employers in New Mexico.”

“The Department has a role and responsibility to connect employers with potential candidates and support workforce development,” said Cabinet Secretary Celina Bussey. “The On-the-Job Training program is the bridge that enables us to help people get back to work while employers benefit from hiring an employee that they can then custom train and receive partial reimbursement of the training costs based on the wages paid to that employee.”

The Department will be working closely with local workforce development boards to identify areas most in need and those with the greatest potential success for administering the training funds. The OJT funding is part of the National Emergency Grants (NEGs), discretionary grants awarded by the Secretary of Labor under the Workforce Investment Act. NEGs provide a method to jump start re-employment for dislocated workers experiencing prolonged unemployment by enabling employers to create training and job opportunities for these individuals. NEG funding becomes available to states when significant events occur including plant closures, mass layoffs, or events recognized by the Secretary of Labor such as economic times.

The $400,000 in OJT funding is aligned with Secretary Bussey’s vision for the Department to become more engaged with the business community and to promote the vast array of employment-related services and resources. Her vision includes the Department of Workforce Solutions as a leader in and a facilitator of a competitive workforce for the benefit of all New Mexicans. For more information about the New Mexico Department of Workforce Solutions, visit www.dws.state.nm.us.

 

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