UWA awarded $2.5 million grant for job growth

LIVINGSTON, Ala.—A $2.5 million grant to the University of West Alabama will expand the impact of workforce development efforts through the Workforce Opportunity for Rural Communities initiative.

The grant to UWA from the U.S. Department of Labor and the Delta Regional Authority is one of only eight in the five states across the Delta region to receive the award.

These grant funds focus on rural areas with economic challenges.

“These investments will support innovative job training programs that prepare workers with the skills needed to be placed in quality careers and supply employers with a highly skilled workforce,” said DRA Co-Chairman Christopher Caldwell.

The DOL decision to invest in UWA “is excellent news for the University and surrounding Black Belt region,” said U.S. Senator Richard Shelby.  “This award will serve as an economic catalyst for job creation, business growth, and workforce development by providing students and employees with advancement opportunities.”

UWA’s efforts to support workforce development aligns the Division of Economic and Workforce Development with the University’s mission and commitment to serving and supporting Alabama’s Black Belt region.

Expressing appreciation for the award, UWA President Dr. Ken Tucker said the grant “will allow UWA the opportunity to expand our economic and workforce development efforts for a 10-county rural area that we serve.”

UWA’s mission includes improving the quality of life for the region, Tucker continued. “We have long seen education as an engine that drives economic and workforce development. The grant “will have a transformative influence on the people of west Alabama and beyond for many years to come.”

“The University is doing great work in rural areas to help citizens develop valuable work skills and to help them enter and remain in the workforce,” said Alabama Department of Labor Secretary, Fitzgerald Washington.  “This will give them the opportunity to expand their reach and help even more people.”

The grant will fund a UWA Division of Economic and Workforce Development initiative known as LINCS: Leveraging Interconnected Networks for Change and Sustainability.  LINCS is designed to help develop a regional workforce based on industry-recognized standards, credentials and identified needs.

“We are grateful for the many partners who have come together to assist UWA with the development of the LINCS proposal,” said Dr. Tina Jones, vice president of the UWA Division of Economic and Workforce Development. “By tapping into existing workforce systems that have a proven record of success, our goal is to address current barriers and gaps in the workforce pipeline.”

The LINCS project plans to increase advanced manufacturing employment skill sets in the underserved rural counties of west Alabama. The grant will implement a three-pronged approach to meet barriers and gaps in the workforce pipeline: 1) development of employer-driven curriculum and fast-track certificate programs; 2) recruitment and placement of new entrants and promotion of current workers to retain or advance employment, and 3) setting up and expanding apprenticeship programs.

For more information on the LINCS initiative or other projects of UWA’s Division of Economic and Workforce Development, call 1-833-UWA-WORK.