The Department of Labor’s Employment & Training Administration (ETA) has $220 million in grant funds available through ARRA to use to train and help workers pursue careers in healthcare and other high growth and emerging industry sectors. ETA expects to provide $125 million of the designated funds for healthcare projects and fund 45-65 grants ranging from $2 million to $5 million. DOL also intends to use a portion of the funds to create a virtual tool to help workers learn about and prepare for careers in healthcare.
The transition from paper based medical files to electronic health records will mean more career pathways in health information management and technology. Also, comprehensive reforms in health law and policy will require new and updated skill sets for a range of clinical occupations. HIMSS estimates that there are approximately 108,400 HIT jobs in hospital settings currently and expects workforce needs to require an additional 40,800 HIT occupations by 2012.
Eligible applicants can be public entities or private nonprofit entities and may include local Workforce Investment Boards and their One Stop Systems, Tribal organizations, education and training providers, labor organizations, healthcare providers, and faith-based and community organizations.
Applicants must include at least one strategic partner from the public workforce investment system, or from public and private employers, or from the education and training community. In addition to the required partners, applicants are encouraged to include other partners that can come from nonprofit organizations, labor organizations, organizations implementing projects funded by the Recovery Act, with the goal to create jobs in the healthcare sector or other high growth and emerging industries, national, state, and local foundations, and state and local social service agencies.
Applications are due October 5, 2009. For more information on the funding opportunity (SGA-DFa-PY-09-01) posted on July 22, 2009, go to www.grants.gov or the Federal Register published on July 22, 2009.
