A recent announcement was made by the United States Department of Labor earlier on in the week. The announcement was made to inform the public of $60 million worth of grants that will be put towards employment services and training services for both Indian and Native Programs. These grants were designed to help the Indian and Native communities by providing them with skills and training they need to do well in the workforce. By gaining skills, experience, and most importantly, knowledge, these individuals will have a better chance of finding employment and will be fantastic employees in the workplace. They will be able to set their own individual goals and will also have the opportunity to learn a lot with all of the grants that will be put towards the training. Without grants for funding, these programs would not exist and that would be very unfortunate.

The Secretary of Labor, Hilda L. Solis, believes that these types of communities are important, especially when it comes to working on making improvements for the economy. She believes that both Indians and Natives play an important role at shaping the economy and helping it to improve. Solis says that these programs, which are funded through grants, will provide the necessary training and assistance for these native individuals, which will ultimately help them to find work and will also help their communities. Youth will also have a better chance of learning the things they need to know, especially if they want to find employment.

The new announcement that was made by the Labor Department goes along with the Obama administration and their goals to help expand employment and different training and skills for Indians and Natives of both the areas of Alaska and Hawaii. With these grants being provided, lots of different organizations will be able to provide an assortment of programs for these different individuals. The Labor Department is expecting to provide nearly 178 different grants which would be used for adult programs and youth programs as well. Just about $47.5 million would be put toward the programs that are designed for adults. On the other hand, $12.4 million dollars will be put toward the programs that will be designed specifically for the youth.

There is a section within the Workforce Investment Act, specifically Section 166, which provides these useful programs and training to Indian Americans and Native Americans. The grants, which are used to provide funding for these necessary programs, are absolutely necessary. These grants are very much appreciated in the Indian and Native communities because the programs are what helps these individuals, of all genders and ages, when it comes to gaining necessary knowledge and skills that are needed for different types of jobs.