Lucas County wins 2 grants for job training programs

3/12/2008

Lucas County has received two state grants totaling $650,000 to help at-risk youth and criminal offenders with job training, the county commissioners said.

Receipt of the two grants, which will be administered by The Source, the county's one-stop shop for job recruiting, was announced yesterday during a news conference before the commissioners' meeting.

Along with the county government, the training programs will include Owens Community College and Toledo Public Schools, local charities and nonprofit groups, and the county Workforce Investment Board, said Craig Gebers, director of workforce development for The Source. The grants are from the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services, he said.

A $250,000 grant will be used for job training for at-risk youth in Lucas County - teenagers who either have dropped out of school or run afoul of the law. A $400,000 grant will be used for job training for criminal offenders in Lucas County and eight surrounding counties.

Through educational and job training, the program will try to place them in health care, construction, high-tech manufacturing, management in the service industry, and transportation, Mr. Gebers said.