A $2.5 million federal grant will help develop new workers with a goal of expanding economic development in rural west Alabama.

The money is going to the University of West Alabama for work in a 10-county region.The area includes some of the state’s poorest counties, and officials sometimes cite the lack of qualified workers as part of the problem.

The grant will fund programs to develop new workers, recruit them into industry and get them working.

It will also establish and expand rural apprenticeship initiatives.

The grant was awarded by the Labor Department in partnership with the Delta Regional Authority and the Appalachian Regional Commission.

The University of West Alabama is one of eight organizations in five states to receive the money.
 (Associated Press, copyright 2019)

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