The U.S. Department of Labor has awarded an additional $2 million to support North Carolina workers laid off from Pactiv Evergreen’s shuttered Canton paper mill and downsized Waynesville facility, expanding the reach of job training and employment services in 11 counties.
The latest funding brings the total awarded to the state to $4.5 million under a National Dislocated Worker Grant originally announced in June 2023. The grant, administered by the department’s Employment and Training Administration, was approved for up to $7.5 million, with $2.5 million distributed initially.
The money is intended to help meet the employment needs of dislocated workers in Buncombe, Cherokee, Clay, Graham, Haywood, Henderson, Jackson, Macon, Madison, Swain, and Transylvania counties, where job losses from the mill closures have strained local workforce resources.
The grant is supported by the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act of 2014, which provides emergency funding to help communities recover from mass layoffs and other economic disruptions.
“These grants are designed to ensure that people affected by large-scale job losses aren’t left without support while they seek new employment,” said a spokesperson for the department.
The funding will help provide retraining, skills development, and job search assistance to affected workers.
