Press Release

U.S. Department of Commerce Invests $900,000 in CARES Act Recovery Assistance to Bolster Workforce Development in Little Rock, Arkansas

WASHINGTON – Today, the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration (EDA) is awarding a $900,000 CARES Act Recovery Assistance grant to the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, Little Rock, Arkansas, to develop a workforce training strategy with a special emphasis on technological skills and to support business community recovery efforts across Arkansas. The EDA grant will be matched with $225,000 in local investment.

“Providing the tools and resources that communities need to be successful and recover from the economic impact of COVID-19 is a top priority for EDA,” said Dennis Alvord, Acting Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Economic Development. “This project will work with the University of Arkansas College Workforce Response and Training Center and the Arkansas Economic Development Institute to identify the workforce populations most impacted by coronavirus, and align skills training opportunities to support both individuals and businesses across the state.”

This project is funded under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act (Public Law 116-136 PDF), which provided EDA with $1.5 billion for economic assistance programs to help communities prevent, prepare for, and respond to coronavirus. EDA CARES Act Recovery Assistance, which is being administered under the authority of the bureau’s flexible Economic Adjustment Assistance (EAA) (PDF) program, provides a wide-range of financial assistance to eligible communities and regions as they respond to and recover from the impacts of the coronavirus pandemic.

About the U.S. Economic Development Administration (www.eda.gov)
The mission of the U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA) is to lead the federal economic development agenda by promoting competitiveness and preparing the nation's regions for growth and success in the worldwide economy. An agency within the U.S. Department of Commerce, EDA makes investments in economically distressed communities in order to create jobs for U.S. workers, promote American innovation, and accelerate long-term sustainable economic growth.