Schatz Announces More Than $1.75 Million To Help Hawai‘i’s Unemployed

Washington, DC – Today, U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) announced that Hawai‘i will receive two grants totaling $1,752,905 from the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) to help unemployed individuals train for and transition to new employment.  Hawai‘i will receive $897,420 through the Job-Driven National Emergency Grant program to train unemployed workers for jobs in high-demand industries and $855,485 through the Reemployment and Eligibility Assessment (REA) Program grant to help Unemployment Insurance claimants return to work quickly. 

“The best way to help those who are unemployed is to help them get back to work,” Senator Schatz said.  “These funds support Hawai‘i’s job centers and help those who are unemployed with the job training and services they need to find a good paying job.”

Both programs have a track record of assisting the unemployed in Hawai‘i:

• The Job-Driven National Emergency Grant program expands employer occupational training partnerships that result in an industry-recognized credential, such as on-the-job training or registered apprenticeships.  Funding from this grant will also be used for career coaching and job placement.
• The Reemployment and Eligibility Assessment (REA) Program grant will be used to conduct in-person assessments at American Job Centers that assist unemployed individuals in the creation of reemployment plans based on their skills and the job market. These assessments also help evaluate Unemployment Insurance (UI) benefits, and provide job training services.  Since the initiative began in March 2005, Hawai‘i has assisted more than 36,000 UI claimants with their reemployment efforts.  There are currently eight American Job Centers across Hawai‘i.

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