N.H. gets bonus job training grant

New Hampshire has won a $675,314 competitive on-the-job training grant from the U.S. Department of Labor, tacked on to an initial $972,474 award the state received last month.U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen said the state received the supplemental grant based on the success it achieved implementing the first award.The supplemental award, to be administered by the New Hampshire Department of Resources and Economic Development, will support OJT programs that help unemployed workers learn new skills to find and retain employment.The $675,314 OJT grant brings New Hampshire’s total to $1,647,788.Shaheen, a member of the Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, recently introduced legislation with U.S. Sen. Thad Cochran, R-Miss., designed to expand OJT programs across the U.S.”On-the-job training programs are a proven way to put people back to work,” Shaheen said in a statement. “By teaching unemployed workers new skills, these programs not only help people find new jobs, but they help companies in emerging industries find qualified employees.”DRED Commissioner George Bald said the previous grant New Hampshire earned has produced more than 60 new on-the-job training opportunities for long-term unemployed workers throughout the state.Bald expects the new grant to produce 50 more job opportunities in New Hampshire, Shaheen’s press office said.