Education and Workforce Development Cabinet
Gov. Beshear awards $1.4 million to West Kentucky Workforce Investment Board to assist trade-affected workers

FRANKFORT, Ky.  – Governor Steve Beshear today announced the West Kentucky Workforce Investment Board (WKWIB) will receive $1.4 million in additional Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) funds. The federal funds will help provide job training to 475 Trade-affected workers currently enrolled in the training program. Participants in the western Kentucky area come from 22 companies that have moved operations overseas.

“These funds will provide critical support to our Trade-affected workers,” said Gov. Beshear. “Educational and technical training will assist in upgrading their skills so they can re-enter the workforce as soon as possible. At a time when we are competing to attract businesses to locate or expand in the Commonwealth, a well-trained workforce is a major incentive.”

The WKWIB is projecting expenditures of approximately $2.6 million to provide job training to currently-enrolled workers for the period of July 1, 2009 through June 30, 2010. This is an average cost of about $5,500 per person. The WKWIB expended $2.4 million to assist Trade participants last year and $2.2 million in fiscal year 2008.

The TAA program was created to provide benefits and support workers who become unemployed due to the impact of international trade. The program seeks to provide U.S. workers who are adversely affected by trade with the opportunity to obtain the skills, resources and support they need to become reemployed.

TAA funding is made available through the U.S. Department of Labor and is administered by the Kentucky Department of Workforce Investment’s Office of Employment and Training in the Kentucky Education and Workforce Development Cabinet.

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The Kentucky Education and Workforce Development Cabinet coordinates learning programs from P-16 and manages and supports training and employment functions in the Department of Workforce Investment. For more information, go to www.educationcabinet.ky.gov or www.workforce.ky.gov.