The U.S. Department of Labor has set aside $6 million to fund a Radford-based organization promising to help disadvantaged workers across Southwest Virginia get the training and jobs they need.
The New River/Mount Rogers Workforce Development Board will spread the money across more than 30 counties and cities, from Bristol to Botetourt, over the next four years in a new program called “Pathways to the American Dream.”Some of the funds will go toward traditional workforce training projects, such as hiring career coaches that will work hands-on with unemployed and underemployed workers, as well as those who have a job but lack the training required for promotion.
Pathways hopes to keep those funds flexible, so it can help individuals with whatever they require, whether that’s tuition for a training course, tools they need on the job site or fees for certification exams, according to Workforce Development Board Director Marty Holliday.
