Biden-Harris Administration Awards Planning Grant to Support Native Workforce Development in Alaska

Contact: EDA Public Affairs Department, [email protected]

WASHINGTON, DC — The Biden-Harris Administration, through the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration (EDA), today announced that the Kodiak Area Native Association in Kodiak, Alaska, was awarded a Recompete Strategy Development Grant to support Alaskan Native workforce development. 

“Where did our people go?” (Alutiiq: Natmen Suupet agellriit?), led by the Kodiak Area Native Association, will leverage the grant to increase local coordination and planning activities to create and connect workers to good jobs in geographically diverse and persistently distressed communities. The Distressed Area Recompete Pilot Program, authorized by the CHIPS and Science Act targets areas where prime-age (25-54 years) employment is significantly lower than the national average, with the goal to close this gap through flexible, locally driven investments.

“Recompete helps fulfill President Biden’s promise that no community in America will be left behind as we continue to grow our nation’s economy and invest in American workers,” said U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo. “These Recompete grant recipients have presented a wide range of inspiring solutions to create jobs, develop long-term economic growth, and realize the full potential in communities that for too long have been overlooked or counted out.”

“As President Biden has said many times: we all just want a fair shot. Recompete helps make it possible for more Americans in more communities to find a good-paying job that puts them and their families on the path toward success. By equitably investing in new job creation opportunities across America, we can help fulfil our promise that no American, and no community, is ever left behind,” said Deputy Secretary of Commerce Don Graves.

“These outstanding Recompete Strategy Development Grant recipients exemplify the focused employment and job creation strategies required to address the unique, long-standing needs of communities,” said Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Economic Development Alejandra Y. Castillo. “We look forward to supporting these communities as they work to reduce the employment gap and establish models for long-term economic growth we can apply across America.”

“This workforce planning and development grant is great news for the people of Kodiak and for Alaska as a whole,” said Representative Mary Peltola (AK-At Large). “We need to be investing in our communities at every level, connecting people to good jobs that build our infrastructure, and creating more opportunities for the next generation. I’m excited to see what the Kodiak Area Native Association and its partners can accomplish with his funding and how those lessons can be applied to other areas of Alaska.”

For a full list of Recompete Finalists, visit eda.gov/recompete.

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 invests in communities and supports regional collaboration in order to create jobs for U.S. workers, promote American innovation, and accelerate long-term sustainable economic growth.