Veronica Garabelli// January 8, 2016//
The Virginia Community College System said Friday it plans to use a nearly $2 million federal grant to retrain approximately 210 workers affected by Alpha Natural Resources layoffs.
Bristol-based Alpha filed for bankruptcy last year and has announced a number of layoffs since then. According to the Virginia Board for Workforce Development website, Alpha filed two Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification layoff notices in 2015 that would impact 692 workers in the commonwealth.
The U.S. Department of Labor grant will provide re-employment services to former coal industry workers wanting access to jobs in emerging and growing fields.
VCCS will lead key project partners, which include the Southwest Virginia Workforce Development Area One, New River/Mount Rogers Local Workforce Development Area Two and Virginia Tech’s Office of Economic Development.
Funding will be provided by the Partnership for Opportunity and Workforce and Economic Revitalization National Dislocated Worker Grants, led by the Economic Development Administration.