Labor Department awards $86 million in federal grants to 'Make America Skilled Again'

The Labor Department on Tuesday awarded $86 million in federal grants to 14 states to invest in skills training programs that address critical workforce needs nationwide, including money to support training in skilled trades like welding.

The department said the awards aligned with President Donald Trump's Preparing Americans for High-Paying Skilled Trade Jobs of the Future, and Restoring America’s Maritime Dominance executive orders. 

The grants included $20 million that was designated to support the revitalization of the domestic shipbuilding industry.

“President Trump has directed the Labor Department to Make America Skilled Again by providing states with the resources they need to expand on-the-job training opportunities," Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer said in a statement.

“By investing more than $86 million in workforce development initiatives across the country, we are carrying out our responsibility to prepare American workers to fill the mortgage-paying jobs being created by this Administration’s efforts to revitalize American manufacturing, shipbuilding, energy production, and other critical industries. This is how we keep America working and winning.”

The awards ranged from $3 million to $8 million and went to programs in Arizona, Connecticut, Georgia, Idaho, Iowa, Louisiana, Maine, Michigan, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, Wisconsin and Wyoming. 

Misty Severi is a news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.