The state of Missouri will use a $15 million federal grant to train low-income Missourians in 19 Mid-Missouri counties, St. Louis and Kansas City for health-related careers, Gov. Jay Nixon announced Wednesday.
The Central Region Workforce Investment Board, which includes Boone, Cole and 17 other Mid-Missouri counties, will receive $2.25 million of the federal funds. St. Louis and Kansas City, along with a handful of counties surrounding the cities, will receive $6 million each.
"Building on the success of programs like the Summer Job League (a workforce development program for low-income youth in the St. Louis and Kansas City areas), this initiative will help even more Missourians unlock their potential and pursue careers in health care," Nixon said in a press release. "We will continue to invest in job training efforts throughout the state, so that all Missourians have the opportunity to get the training they need to move up the economic ladder and build a brighter future for their families and communities."
The Missouri Department of Social Services joined with eight other state agencies to make classroom learning, on-the-job training and distance learning opportunities available in an effort to better prepare Missouri residents for healthcare jobs.
The Missouri's Jobs, Education, Training and Supportive Services (JETS) program will train 1,800 participants. To be eligible to apply for the JETS program, an applicant's income must be under 200 percent of the federal poverty level (that is $48,500 a year for a family of four).
For further eligibility qualifications, Mid-Missouri applicants may consult the Central Region Workforce Investment Board.
Potential healthcare positions include: respiratory therapist, licensed practical nurse, pharmacy technician, medical secretary, community health worker, surgical technician, EMT paramedic, home health aide and many more, said Scott Holste, Nixon's press secretary.
Along with basic training for health-related positions, current certified nursing assistants and licensed practical nurses may be eligible to use the JETS program to further healthcare training.
In addition to job training, program participants will get support with childcare and transportation needs, which can stand in the way of entering the workforce and climbing the career ladder.
Childcare and transportation can be "significant challenges for people who are in lower income brackets," Holste said.
Better preparing lower skilled employees to climb the career ladder and expanding job training programs in the state were among the recommendations of the Ferguson Commission report.