What They Are Reading in the States: President Biden's American Rescue Plan Good Jobs Challenge

32 Regional Partnerships Receive Once-In-A-Generation Funding from President Biden's American Rescue Plan to Develop Training Programs that Support Local Economies and Place an Additional 50,000 Workers in Quality Jobs

Yesterday, the White House and the Department of Commerce announced the winners of the Good Jobs Challenge, funded by President Biden's American Rescue Plan, which will fund jobs training programs for good-paying jobs.

The Commerce Department's Economic Development Administration awarded funding to 32 projects from across the country. These 32 projects, spanning an array of industries, will enable communities nationwide to invest in innovative approaches to workforce development that will secure job opportunities for more than 50,000 Americans.

Following the announcement, local media outlets – from newspapers to TV station – took note of how the Good Jobs Challenge will bring good-paying jobs to communities and accelerate regional economic growth.

Here's a sample of what they are reading in the states:

Alabama

AL.com: Birmingham partnership awarded $10 million federal grant to help minorities, women get healthcare jobs
The Birmingham Regional Partnership will use the more than $10 million in funding to "build a pipeline of skilled healthcare and digital health workers," the department said Wednesday in announcing the grant winners…Funding from the American Rescue Plan, also known as the COVID-19 stimulus package, is being used for the grants, with the goal of helping more than 50,000 Americans secure well-paying jobs in industries with high demand.

WTVM (ABC Columbus, GA/Birmingham, AL): Birmingham receives money from the American Rescue Plan Good Jobs Challenge grant
U.S. Secretary of Commerce announced Birmingham to receive $10.8 million in grant money from the American Rescue Plan Good Jobs Challenge. This program will build a pipeline of skilled health care and digital health care workers. It will provide health care jobs to underserved communities.

Connecticut

CT Mirror: CT wins $24M American Rescue Plan grant for workforce training

Connecticut's Office of Workforce Strategy will receive $24 million in federal funding to expand job training programs that have struggled to meet demand amid a shortage of skilled workers in the state…The OWS was one of 32 recipients selected for the Commerce Department's $500 million "Good Jobs Challenge" program, funded through the American Rescue Plan and administered by Commerce's Economic Development Administration.

Iowa

WOI-DT (ABC Des Moines, IA): United Way of Central Iowa receives $1.8 million grant from U.S. Department of Commerce
United Way of Central Iowa is one of just 32 organizations across the country to receive a grant award through the Good Jobs Challenge, the U.S. Department of Commerce announced Wednesday…The money will fund a health care workforce training program with the goal of "diversifying the local healthcare workforce to lead to better health outcomes and a stronger regional economy," according to the project summary.

Maryland

Baltimore Business Journal: Maryland awarded $22.9M federal grant to boost offshore wind job training
Job training for Maryland's emerging offshore wind industry got a boost Wednesday in the form of a $22.9 million federal grant. The grant, part of the $500 million American Rescue Plan Good Jobs Challenge, will be used to implement a new apprenticeship model designed to train thousands of individuals in skills needed to join the industry.

WJZ (CBS Baltimore, MD): MD receives $22.9M for offshore wind apprenticeship program
Maryland has received $22.9 million in federal money to build a training program for the offshore wind industry, the U.S. Department of Commerce announced…"This targeted $22 million federal grant made possible by the American Rescue Plan will help prepare workers for jobs in offshore wind - a key industry that is not only creating thousands of jobs in Maryland but also moving us forward in our transition to a cleaner, greener future," said Van Hollen.

Massachusetts

The Boston Globe: US sending $23m to Boston area to train new generation of workers
The federal government on Wednesday said it will invest $23 million into workforce development in Greater Boston, seeking to spark new job growth in some of the region's burgeoning industries, including health care, clean energy, and child care…The hope, White House ARPA Coordinator Gene Sperling said, is that the funds will reach lower income communities that may otherwise be overlooked in economic development projects, giving those populations opportunities to learn advanced skills and build equity.

Missouri

KYTV (NBC Springfield, MO): Springfield awarded $17.5 million grant for workforce training partnerships
The Springfield Department of Workforce Development has been selected as one of 32 recipients nationwide for a $17.5 million grant from the federal Economic Development Administration. The grant seeks to spur economic growth and strengthen the pipeline of skilled workers by helping around 3,000 individuals with job training and placement opportunities over the next three years.

Nevada

Las Vegas Review Journal: Northern Nevada company gets big grant to help workers
[Gary Martin, 8/3/22]

A Northern Nevada workforce training program was one of 32 selected by the Biden administration to receive a portion of $500 million from the American Rescue Plan to be announced today, officials said late Tuesday…Nevadaworks will receive $14.9 million for a program that aims to help underserved, rural and tribal communities with education, training and a commitment from companies to hire people who complete courses.

New Mexico

Albuquerque Journal: $6.4M grant for job development benefits rural NM
The program, dubbed the Northern New Mexico Workforce Integration Network, was among 32 to receive funding. That's out of 509 total applications, meaning its selection is "a big deal," according to Gene Sperling, an economic adviser to President Biden…New Mexico's program was chosen because it fulfills a key goal of the American Recovery Plan "that we have a more enduring, equitable recovery," Sperling said. "That we don't have a recovery where only some people recover."

Albuquerque Business First: New Mexico job training program will be created from $6.4 million federal grant
The U.S. Economic Development Administration announced Wednesday it awarded a $6.4 million grant to create a pathway to higher-paying jobs for northern New Mexico's underrepresented populations…The money will come from the American Rescue Plan Good Jobs Challenge and will be used locally by the North Central New Mexico Economic Development District (NCNNEDD) to create the Northern New Mexico Workforce Integration Network (WIN).

North Carolina

Raleigh News & Observer: NC A&T to receive $23.7 million federal grant for clean energy workforce program
Gov. Roy Cooper announced Wednesday that North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University will receive a $23.7 million federal grant to create a clean energy workforce program…The program, called STEPs4GROWTH, will be centered at N.C. A&T and train workers in 16 counties across the state to qualify for clean energy sector jobs…The money comes from a fund called the Good Jobs Challenge within The American Rescue Plan, a massive COVID-19 recovery bill that Congress passed last year.

Greensboro News & Record: 'Transformative': N.C. A&T awarded $23.7 million grant for job training project
The U.S. Department of Commerce has awarded N.C. A&T a $23.7 million grant as part of the American Rescue Plan's Good Jobs Challenge…The grant, which will be used to create a clean energy workforce training program, is the single-largest award the university has received for research…"We are on a mission to make sure that every American — regardless of where they live or the color of their skin, how old they are, whether they are in recovery, formerly incarcerated — has a chance to get a real job," Raimondo said.

Triad Business Journal: N.C. A&T receives $23.7 million grant from the American Rescue Plan Act's Good Jobs Challenge
North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University has received a $23.7 million grant as part of the American Rescue Plan Act's $500 million Good Jobs Challenge, which aims to strengthen workforce development and to place an additional 50,000 workers in jobs…N.C. A&T was one of 32 winning projects from across the United States and Puerto Rico selected from over 500 applicants. In its workforce training project, N.C. A&T will focus on the industries of energy and resilience.

WXII (NBC Greensboro, NC): NC A&T University receives $23 million in funding for workforce training program
Gov. Roy Cooper and the U.S. Secretary of Commerce were in Greensboro Wednesday to present a grant funded by President Joe Biden's American Rescue Plan to North Carolina A&T State University…Connecting people to jobs is the goal of the $500 million Good Jobs Challenge administered by the U.S. Department of Commerce and funded by the American Rescue Plan.

WRAL TechWire (Raleigh, NC): NC A&T lands $23.7M federal grant for workforce training program
North Carolina A&T has landed a $23.7 million federal grant for workforce development, the U.S. Department of Commerce announced early Wednesday…North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University's grant will focus on energy and resilience, the agency disclosed…The grant was one of 32 awarded as part of a $500 million Good Jobs Challenge administered by the Commerce Department's Economic Development Administration.

Ohio

WEWS (ABC Cleveland, OH): Ohio Manufacturers' Association awarded $23.5 million as part of White House 'Good Jobs Challenge' grant
Ohio's focus on training the next generation of manufacturers is being recognized by the White House. The Ohio Manufacturers Association (OMA) is receiving one of the largest awards from the U.S. Economic Development Administration's "Good Jobs Challenge" program. The OMA will see $23.5 million over the next three years.

WTVG (ABC Toledo, OH): American Rescue Plan money to fund Ohio manufacturing training
The U.S. Economic Development Administration is awarding several million dollars to the Ohio Manufacturers' Association to expand manufacturing workforce training throughout Ohio…Congresswoman Kaptur's Office says EDA's Good Jobs Challenge grant, funded by the American Rescue Plan, will fund a workforce training program led by OMA's Educational and Industrial Development Institute.

WFMJ (NBC Youngstown, OH): Mahoning Valley Manufacturers Coalition to receive $930000 for 'Good Jobs Challenge Program'
The Mahoning Valley Manufacturers Coalition (MVMC) is set to receive $930,000 over the next three years as part of the Ohio Manufacturers' Organization's (OMA) $23.5 million award from the Economic Development Administration's (EDA) Good Jobs Challenge" program…Ultimately, the Good Jobs Challenge grant will lay the groundwork for exponential, ongoing impacts beyond the 36-month grant period by operationalizing sustainable new training programs, formalizing referral partnerships, accelerating ISPs' momentum and building underrepresented communities' interest in manufacturing careers," said OMA President, Ryan Augsburger.

The Business Journal (Youngstown, OH): MVMC to Receive $930,000 from Federal 'Good Jobs Challenge' Program
The Mahoning Valley Manufacturers Coalition is in line to receive $930,000 over the next three years as part of a $23.4 million award to the Ohio Manufacturers Association…"This investment will enable us to continue the momentum created through our WorkAdvance program, Ohio To Work, apprenticeship and other upskilling efforts," said Jessica Borza, MVMC executive director.

South Dakota

KELO (CBS Sioux Falls, SD): Native-led organization wins award money from the Good Jobs Challenge.
Lakota Funds is, a Native-led nonprofit organization working in cooperation with tribal governments. They propose to design and implement the Building Jobs, Building Homes project, a statewide partnership to create jobs and strengthen the residential construction industry serving Native communities in South Dakota.

The Center Square (South Dakota): South Dakota CDFI wins $5 million in Good Jobs Challenge
A South Dakota non-profit community development financial institution won $5 million in the U.S. Department of Commerce's Good Jobs Challenge...Lakota Funds will use the money to work with tribal governments to "create jobs and strengthen the residential construction industry serving Native communities in South Dakota," the organization said in its application.

Tennessee

Memphis Commercial Appeal: Mid-South, Tennessee groups get $37 million from US government for workforce development
Two Memphis-based organizations looking to ramp up workforce development operations in the Mid-South and across Tennessee have been awarded a collective $36.9 million from the U.S. Department of Commerce to further those efforts…"We're bringing employers to the table as partners to ensure that we're building pipelines that lead to real high-quality in-demand jobs," Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo said...The grants are part of the $500 million Good Jobs Challenge, one of the numerous programs within President Joe Biden's American Rescue Plan.

Virginia

WVEC (ABC Hampton Roads, VA): Rep. Bobby Scott announces $11M in funding for Hampton Roads Workforce Council
U.S. Rep. Bobby Scott was in Newport News Wednesday to celebrate $11 million going to the Hampton Roads Workforce Council to help people with job training…The funding, made possible by the American Rescue Plan Good Jobs Challenge grant, will allow the organization to expand training, advance curriculum and increase recruitment from underserved minority communities…While in town, Scott also highlighted the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act of 2022, which he spearheaded and successfully helped pass in the House.

WAVY (CBS Hampton Roads, VA): Rep. Bobby Scott announces $11 million grant to help local career service
Virginia is one of the 509 applicants for the Good Job Challenge offered by the Biden administration. The Hampton Roads Workforce Council was one of the 32 winners of the grant. Representative Bobby Scott helped secure an $11 million dollar grant.//Shawn Avery, the President and CEO of Hampton Roads Workforce Council, said the tools directly equate to a stronger Hampton Roads.

Washington

KREM (CBS Spokane, WA): Washington Student Achievement Council receives a $23.5 million grant from U.S. Department of Commerce
The Washington Student Achievement Council (WSAC) was one of 32 organizations across the country to receive a grant through the Good Jobs Challenge, the U.S. Department of Commerce announced Wednesday. .."This funding will provide a range of opportunities to create innovative workforce systems that will support many of the state's major sectors while strengthening Washington's economic resilience," Gina Raimondo, Secretary of Commerce, said in a statement…The state will receive a $23.5 million Good Jobs Challenge grant to support the state's career-connected training system serving thousands of students across the state.