U.S. Department of Commerce Invests $9.7 Million for Healthcare Workforce Training in Alaska Through American Rescue Plan Good Jobs Challenge

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo announced the Department’s Economic Development Administration (EDA) is awarding a $9.7 million American Rescue Plan Good Jobs Challenge grant to Alaska Primary Care Association (APCA), Anchorage, Alaska, for Alaska’s Healthcare Workforce Pipeline Project to expand job opportunities and improve Alaska’s healthcare sector through training programs.

Alaska’s Healthcare Workforce Pipeline is supporting opportunities for Alaska’s healthcare sector with a focus on Alaskan Native people by training and employing thousands of new healthcare workers. With the support of industry employers and union partners, this program will provide quality pre-apprenticeships, registered apprenticeship programs, and healthcare career pathways available to all Alaskan high school students.

“The Biden-Harris Administration is committed to furthering a skilled workforce to ensure the United States is prepared to innovate, compete, and succeed in a 21st century global economy,” said Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo. “This EDA investment will expand career opportunities for Alaskans to secure good-paying jobs while supporting the growth and resiliency of Alaska’s healthcare economy.”

“The Good Jobs Challenge is creating new pathways to employment by reaching previously underserved communities,” said Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Economic Development Alejandra Y. Castillo. “The Alaska Healthcare Workforce Pipeline will train and employ thousands of new healthcare workers, with a focus on Alaskan Native people.”

This grant is funded through the American Rescue Plan Good Jobs Challenge. The program awarded grants to 32 worker-centered, industry-led workforce training partnerships across the country. The $500 million program is expanding opportunities for more Americans to access and secure good-paying jobs by investing in innovative approaches to advance worker-centered, industry-led workforce training partnerships.

The 32 awardee projects were selected from a competitive pool of 509 applicants. By partnering with stakeholders such as labor unions, community colleges and industry, these projects will solve for local talent needs, increase the supply of trained workers and help workers secure jobs in 15 key industries that are essential to U.S. supply chains, global competitiveness, and regional development. Through a holistic, integrated partnership approach, these projects will provide tangible opportunities and security for American workers, focusing on serving and supporting a broad range of underserved communities and connecting workers with the training, skills, and support services needed to successfully secure a good job. For more information on the grantees, please visit our fact sheet. (PDF)

The Good Jobs Challenge is part of a suite of American Rescue Plan programs developed by EDA to equitably distribute its $3 billion allocation to assist communities nationwide in their efforts to 4 a better America by accelerating economic recovery from the coronavirus pandemic and building local economies that will be more resilient to future economic shocks.

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.