NEW ORLEANS — Mayor LaToya Cantrell announced that New Orleans is requesting $3.5 million of the $6 million Louisiana received as a first installment from the National Dislocated Worker Grant program.
“We need to ensure that our workforce gets its fair share from our state and federal partners in order to navigate a very challenging employment situation during the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Cantrell. “Our Office of Workforce Development and JOB1 will use this funding to leverage relationships with several local agencies to get our people back to work and do it quickly.”
Sunae Villavaso, director of the city’s Office of Workforce Development, said the funds will be used for job training and placement initiatives among other things.
“We are excited to partner with Ochsner and LCMC to provide training opportunities for job seekers in a host of positions, including but not limited to patient care tech and medical assistants, which have been proven to be critical positions during the pandemic,” said Villavaso. The city will also help connect job seekers with positions at civil service branches including the Sewerage and Water Board of New Orleans, the New Orleans Sanitation Department and the New Orleans Recreation Development.
Additionally, Villavaso said JOB1 is also offering training and careers in blue and green infrastructure in partnership with the Office of Community Development.
“In an effort to ensure we have sufficient funding to serve our residents, JOB1 will blend our standard Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act allocations with the Dislocated Worker Grant to upskill and retrain eligible participants,” said Villavaso. “In partnership with other local agencies, we will do our best to provide a comprehensive plan for all individuals that’s inclusive of supportive and wrap-around services. This is an opportune time to take advantage of the training opportunities available.”
