PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — The mayor of Providence is urging Congress not to cut funding for a jobs training program that connects unemployed workers with employers.
Mayor Angel Taveras said Wednesday that proposals to slash funding for the Workforce Investment Act could undermine efforts to improve the state's economy. The state now faces a 10.4 percent unemployment rate.
The $4 billion federal program funds job training programs around the nation. Taveras says in Rhode Island the money goes toward efforts to recruit and train workers and help find positions with local employers. Taveras says the money helped coordinate a jobs fair that recently attracted 250 local residents looking for work.
A proposal now under consideration in the U.S. House would eliminate more than half of the program's funding.
