Maryland receives $7.7M grant for federal jobs

The U.S. Department of Labor announced a $7.7 million grant to assist workers affected by the base realignment and closures in Maryland and the District of Columbia, according to a press release.

The grant was awarded to the Maryland Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation, and will fund services such as assessment, counseling, case management, job training, job development, job placement and followup. One goal is to minimize the unemployment time of workers from closing Walter Reed Army Medical Center and relocating Naval Criminal Investigative Services. Labor announced the Maryland agency will enter an agreement to make the funds available to workers who reside in the district as well.  

Another goal is to connect those seeking federal jobs with opportunities from the expansion of activities at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Andrews Air Force Base, Fort Detrick, Fort Meade and the National Naval Medical Center in Maryland. Maryland estimates 20,000 new federal jobs at APG and Fort Meade, and another 40,000 private-sector jobs as a result of BRAC, reports the Baltimore Business Journal.