U.S. Department of Commerce Invests $1.9 Million in American Rescue Plan Funds to Boost Workforce Training Programs at Bismarck State College

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina M. Raimondo announced the Department’s Economic Development Administration (EDA) is awarding a $1.9 million grant to Bismarck State College, Bismarck, North Dakota, to purchase high-tech laboratory and classroom equipment in support of polytechnic career programs. This grant is funded by the American Rescue Plan and EDA’s $300 million Coal Communities Commitment.

This grant will be used to provide hands-on training to prepare students for good-paying, in-demand jobs across a variety of spectrums. The EDA investment will be matched with $467,828 in local funds and is expected to create 234 jobs, according to grantee estimates.

“President Biden’s American Rescue Plan offers direct relief to American communities as they work to build a better America for the future,” said Secretary of Commerce Gina M. Raimondo. “This EDA investment will upskill and diversify the workforce in North Dakota, leading to a stronger, robust regional economy.”

“The Economic Development Administration is dedicated to working with communities to support their locally-driven strategies to recover and rebuild from the pandemic,” said Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Economic Development Alejandra Y. Castillo. “This project will provide high-tech equipment to educate students at North Dakota’s only Polytechnic Institution, Bismarck State College, equipping workers with the skills to secure quality  jobs.”

This project was made possible by the regional planning efforts led by the Lewis & Clark Regional Development Council (LCRDC). EDA funds LCRDC to bring together the public and private sectors to create an economic development roadmap to strengthen the regional economy, support private capital investment and create jobs.

This project is funded under EDA’s American Rescue Plan Economic Adjustment Assistance program, which makes $500 million in Economic Adjustment Assistance grants available to American communities. The Economic Adjustment Assistance program is EDA’s most flexible program, and grants made under this program will help hundreds of communities across the nation plan, build, innovate, and put people back to work through construction or non-construction projects designed to meet local needs.

EDA’s Coal Communities Commitment allocates $300 million of EDA’s $3 billion American Rescue Plan appropriation to support coal communities as they recover from the pandemic and to help them create new jobs and opportunities, including through the creation or expansion of a new industry sector. Specifically, EDA has dedicated $100 million of its Build Back Better Regional Challenge funds and $200 million of its Economic Adjustment Assistance funds to directly support coal communities. Effective May 26, 2022, EDA has officially closed all of its American Rescue Plan programs for applications. The $3 billion program funding will be awarded on a rolling basis through September 30, 2022.

About the U.S. Economic Development Administration (www.eda.gov)
The mission of the U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA) is to lead the federal economic development agenda by promoting competitiveness and preparing the nation’s regions for growth and success in the worldwide economy. An agency within the U.S. Department of Commerce, EDA invests in communities and supports regional collaboration in order to create jobs for U.S. workers, promote American innovation, and accelerate long-term sustainable economic growth.