The U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration has awarded the city of Birmingham a grant of approximately $10.8 million for the establishment of a healthcare workforce training program directed at traditionally underserved communities, according to the Birmingham Mayor’s office and EDA.
The grant, which is funded through the American Rescue Plan’s Good Jobs Challenge, will fund the creation of the Region Health Partnership: a personnel training program for healthcare workers meant to create “high-quality healthcare jobs to those communities traditionally underserved, including women and people of color.”, according to the EDA.
“The Biden-Harris Administration is committed to creating career opportunities enabling more Americans to secure quality, in-demand jobs,” said U.S Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo in a statement released Thursday. “This EDA investment will help provide women in the Birmingham region with the services and support they need to complete training and be placed into quality healthcare careers.”
Over the duration of the grant, which is scheduled to take three years, partners expect to train and place over 1,000 jobseekers in high-quality healthcare jobs, according to the Birmingham Mayor’s office.
Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin lauded the “close collaboration” between city and county officials, as well as the region’s five largest healthcare employers, in a statement released Thursday.
Other Partners include the Birmingham Business Alliance; Central Six AlabamaWorks!; Innovate Birmingham; Prosper; Regional Planning Commission of Greater Birmingham; STRIVE; and Women’s Foundation of Alabama, according to the mayor’s office.
“We are honored to receive the Good Jobs Challenge grant. This is truly a collaborative effort between the city and our partners to enhance workforce development in our region,” Woodfin said on Thursday. “These funds from the Biden-Harris administration will go far in our commitment to building a more equitable and inclusive economy designed to serve the people.”
