innovate arkansas

The five Democratic members of the Arkansas congressional delegation announced on Wednesday that the state will receive $4.9 million for green jobs training for Arkansans.

The Arkansas Workforce Investment Board/Department of Workforce Services will receive $4,866,479 in U.S. Department of Labor grants.

The funds, part of $190 million in green jobs training announced Wednesday by the Labor Department, will go toward college and apprenticeship programs that will prepare 2,800 participants for jobs in the emerging green industries, Sens. Blanche Lincoln and Mark Pryor and Reps. Marion Berry, Vic Snyder and Mike Ross said in a news release.

"We will keep our state competitive by ensuring that Arkansans have the necessary skills to take on new challenges in green technology," Lincoln said. "I am fully committed to getting Arkansans back to work and the economy back on track."

Four counties with a significant auto industry presence - Cleburne, Desha, Greene and Logan - will receive a portion of the funding, which will be dispersed statewide, according to the release. The funding will create three Energy Centers of Excellence that will set up programs and provide materials that will be used by 22 two-year colleges and seven apprenticeship programs throughout the state in addition to high school programs and other training workshops.

Unemployed workers will be recruited for green jobs training programs, and 1,371 of the 2,800 people expected to participate in training programs will be placed in energy-efficient occupations, according to the Labor Department.

"The green energy sector is one of the fastest-growing industries in the country and the world," Pryor said. "These funds will help Arkansans in Greene, Logan, Desha and Cleburne counties acquire the tools they need to have successful, high-demand careers and foster economic development opportunities in these communities."