BALTIMORE, MD—Maryland Department of Labor Secretary Tiffany P. Robinson on Wednesday announced that the state has been awarded $2,881,060 from the U.S. Department of Labor’s COVID-19 National Dislocated Worker Grant 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.”
MD 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 Number 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 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 at https://labor.maryland.gov/employment.
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