Two YouthForce Partners receive Delta Workforce Grants

NOTEP President Adam Bourne speaks during the announcement of the Delta Workforce Grant recipients.

New Orleans Technical Education Provider (NOTEP) and Greater New Orleans, Inc. (GNO, Inc.) each have received $200,000 Delta Workforce Grants from the Delta Regional Authority (DRA).

“The Delta Workforce Grant Program makes targeted investments into programs throughout the Delta region that are solving skilled labor shortages by meeting local industry needs to get individuals back to work within our communities,” said DRA Alternate Federal Co-Chairwoman Leslie Durham.  “As a result of Delta Regional Authority’s $1.9 million investment, a projected 834 people will receive industry-based skills training and then be placed into a high-demand job within their community.”

The grant program invests federal resources into workforce development projects throughout the Mississippi River Delta and Alabama Black Belt regions particularly hard hit by industrial downsizing, business closures, and job losses as a result of the public health and economic crises. It supports projects and initiatives that create a more vibrant economic future for the Delta region by expanding job training and re-employment opportunities, aligning workforce and economic development strategies, creating sustainable talent pipelines, establishing or enhancing local and regionally significant public-private partnerships, and supporting enhanced workforce productivity through investments in innovative programming and strategies.  

NOTEP, YouthForce training provider partner,  will expand its adult workforce program to train 100 individuals during the 24-month grant period.  The program will provide job placement services within three Southeast Louisiana opportunity zones to help displaced workers earn a career in skilled crafts industries.  As a YouthForce partner, NOTEP will leverage this funding to provide industry exposure, technical training, and employment support for young people in New Orleans.

“We are grateful for the Delta Regional Authority’s investment in NOTEP’s adult trainees,” said NOTEP President Adam Bourne.  “It will change the trajectory of trainees’ lives while meeting local employers’ hiring needs.  In addition, the investment will help close the skills gap in the Greater New Orleans region.”

GNO, Inc. Development Foundation is working in collaboration with the Louisiana Parole Board and Orleans Parish Office of Workforce Development for Project Rebirth, which will support unmet hiring needs while also providing a second chance through a stable career pathway for re-entry talent.  Partners will work together to build awareness, action, and employer engagement specifically focused on three sectors experiencing talent shortages:  construction, healthcare, and manufacturing.  The project service area includes 9 Southeast Louisiana parishes:  Jefferson, Orleans, Plaquemines, St. Bernard, St. Charles, St. James, St. John the Baptist, Tangipahoa, and Washington. 

A member of the YouthForce NOLA Collaborative Steering Committee, GNO, Inc. anticipates training 60 individuals and serving 20 businesses during the 24-month grant period.

“As employers are facing acute hiring challenges, this program presents an opportunity to focus on creating meaningful, in-demand employment opportunities for an underutilized, yet qualified segment of our community,” said Michael Hecht, president and CEO of GNO, Inc. “Project Rebirth is made possible by the commitment and vision of our partner organizations who will work together to strengthen employment opportunities for citizens re-entering the workforce after time served. We’d like to sincerely thank the Delta Regional Authority for issuing this grant, as well as employer partners, including Laitram and Big Easy Bucha, who have long-supported this work.”

Click here to see the full list of 2021 DWP awardees.