Skip to Content Accessibility Information

Maryland Awarded Over $2.8 Million in COVID-19 National Dislocated Worker Grant Funds

Funding Will Provide Over 720 Marylanders with Reemployment and Training Services from Ten Local Workforce Development Areas

BALTIMORE (April 7, 2021) – Maryland Department of Labor (Labor) Secretary Tiffany P. Robinson today announced that Maryland has been awarded $2,881,060 from the U.S. Department of Labor’s (USDOL) COVID-19 National Dislocated Worker Grant (NDWG) program to help workers whose jobs were impacted by the pandemic to access employment and training services. This competitive federal funding opportunity was introduced to provide support to communities impacted by the workforce consequences of the COVID-19 health crisis.

“Our department has distributed Maryland’s COVID-19 National Dislocated Worker Grant to ten Local Workforce Development Areas across the state to support their ongoing reemployment initiatives,” said Labor Secretary Robinson. “Through this funding, our local workforce areas are helping Marylanders get back to work and emerge from this crisis stronger than before—with in-demand skills and a pathway to a successful career.”

Labor has awarded its NDWG funds to ten Local Workforce Development Areas (Local Areas) to support over 720 job seekers looking to gain new skills in order to effectively enter into critical industries such as environmental services, healthcare, hospitality, logistics, and manufacturing.

Maryland Department of Labor’s Local NDWG Recipients Award Amount Anticipated # of Participants Served
Anne Arundel County $525,000 150
Baltimore City $300,000 95
Baltimore County $81,500 25
Howard County $125,000 115
Montgomery County $175,000 50
Prince George’s County $450,000 49
Southern Maryland (Calvert, Charles, and Saint Mary’s Counties) $315,060 77
Susquehanna (Cecil and Harford Counties) $125,000 50
Upper Shore (Caroline, Dorchester, Kent, Queen Anne’s, and Talbot Counties) $125,000 22
Western Maryland (Washington, Allegany and Garrett Counties) $250,000 95

The Mayor’s Office of Employment Development (MOED) is applying Baltimore City’s NDWG funds to help address the dual challenges of high unemployment and a critical shortage of healthcare workers.

“Our program is giving unemployed city residents access to valuable training and credentials as Community Healthcare Workers that will prepare them to enter meaningful careers with a future. When participants graduate, they are prepared to fill a serious gap in the healthcare system by building connections to healthcare in underserved communities,” said MOED Director Jason Perkins-Cohen.

Asked to provide a participant’s perspective on MOED’s program, newly certified Community Health Worker Candace Joyner gave the training and support she received high marks: “I love this program and the training and everything that it has offered me,” said Ms. Joyner. “I would recommend this training to others. I am so grateful for the opportunity.”

For more information about Maryland’s reemployment initiatives, please visit Labor’s Division of Workforce Development and Adult Learning.

MEDIA CONTACT:
Fallon Pearre