Get Economic Recovery Information at the Working for America Institute

by James Parks, Jul 28, 2009

With billions in federal economic recovery funds available for job training and education, the AFL-CIO Working for America Institute is the go-to place for union leaders seeking the latest information on training and workforce development opportunities. Through a series of Web announcements, webinars and conference calls, the institute is keeping the union movement abreast of the opportunities to better educate the nation’s workforce and rebuild the middle class.

The institute offers a practical new guide to the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. For example, the latest posting announces some $220 million in new training grants for health care and high-growth industries. The U.S. Labor Department defines high growth and emerging industries—in addition to health care—as fields such as information technology, advanced manufacturing, wireless and broadband deployment, transportation and warehousing and biotechnology.

Says institute Executive Director Nancy Mills:

With important new support from the Obama administration and private foundations, we intend to play an important role in helping labor leaders across the country respond to the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression.  

For example, the institute’s new Center for Green Jobs already is making progress in educating labor leaders on how to apply for $500 million in new green jobs training grants. Here’s Jeff Rickert, the center’s director:

With green jobs emerging as a top public policy priority,  we are all working hard to make sure that green jobs are good jobs that provide decent wages and benefits. That’s a central part of our work. We don’t want these jobs to become dead-end jobs with no chance for advancement.

The institute, which helps create high-road partnerships among unions, business and government, also is conducting conference calls and webinars for labor leaders on various grants. The next webinar tomorrow, July 29, is a strategic discussion with labor leaders on one of the Labor Department’s new green jobs grant solicitations. The Labor Department has specifically asked members of joint industry-labor state workforce investment boards (WIB) to apply for these grants. Labor representatives serve on all of these state boards and can play an important role in helping develop these grant proposals.

Meanwhile, the institute is arranging a series of phone listening sessions in September with Jane Oates, assistant labor secretary for employment and training, with labor representatives on workforce investment boards. The issue will be the reauthorization of the Workforce Investment Act. 

In the end, the institute’s goal, Mills says, is to

make sure that representatives of workers are at the table and well-informed as critical decisions are made on how to spend stimulus money for employment and training.

If you want to be included in the mailing list regarding these listening sessions or other discussions, please send an e-mail with your name, organization and contact information to Katrina Dizon at kdizon@workingforamerica.org.

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