MADISON – Governor Jim Doyle announced today that Wisconsin will receive an additional $14,851,318 to provide career training and reemployment services to workers who lose their jobs as a result of outsourcing and foreign trade.
The funding is part of $450 million being released by the U.S. Department of Labor to states for Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA), a federal program administered by states to serve workers who have lost their jobs due to foreign competition.
“This additional federal assistance will help these workers increase their job skills and find new employment,” Governor Doyle said. “The employment and training services now available to these workers will help them upgrade their skills or retrain for new careers so they can reenter the workforce, support themselves and their families, and enjoy all that life in Wisconsin has to offer.”
The additional money is available because the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 expanded the amount of TAA funds available nationwide to $575 million from $220 million. The additional funding will help states serve an increasing number of trade-affected workers.
The Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development (DWD) will administer the federally funded services, which are available through local Job Centers. They include retraining and reemployment services tailored to meet the needs of individual workers. More information on the TAA program is available at http://www.doleta.gov.
Individuals interested in receiving reemployment assistance should contact a local Job Center or visit
http://www.wisconsinjobcenter.org/directory/ to find a Job Center nearby. The nearest Job Center location also can be found by calling (888) 258-9966 toll free.
