[StBernard] Louisiana Recovery Authority and Louisiana Workforce Commission to Hold Pre-Bid Meeting for Workforc

[Westley Annis]

Louisiana Recovery Authority and Louisiana Workforce Commission to Hold Pre-Bid Meeting for Workforce Training Program 

BATON ROUGE, La. (September 1, 2006) - The Louisiana Recovery Authority and the Louisiana Workforce Commission will conduct an informational pre-bid meeting for parties who are interested in submitting proposals for the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Recovery Workforce Training Program (RWTP) on Thursday, September 7, 2006 at 1:30 p.m. The meeting will be held at 150 Third Street, 1st Floor Auditorium in Baton Rouge. 

CDBG funds will be used for demand-driven, sector-based workforce training programs that will include comprehensive strategies for recruiting, training, hiring, and retaining a skilled and productive workforce specific to the immediate needs of the hurricane impacted regions and recovery-critical sectors. The recovery-critical sectors are: Advanced Manufacturing, Construction, Cultural Economy, Healthcare, Oil and Gas, Transportation. Other sectors will be considered on a case by case basis. Eligible entities are organizations that form alliances, preferably regional alliances, led by a workforce intermediary and including key stakeholders which include, but are not limited to: employers in a specific sector, business groups and/or industry/trade associations representing a specific sector, public and private post-secondary education institutions, Workforce Investment Boards, labor or community based organizations, other training provid! ers. The purpose of the meeting is to provide information and provide an opportunity for interested parties to ask questions about the program. A bidder's conference will be conducted after a formal request for proposals is made. 

Hurricanes Katrina and Rita devastated South Louisiana, destroying more than 200,000 homes and 18,000 businesses. The Louisiana Recovery Authority (LRA) is the planning and coordinating body that was created in the aftermath of these storms by Governor Kathleen Babineaux Blanco to lead one of the most extensive rebuilding efforts in the world. The LRA is a 33-member body which is coordinating across jurisdictions, supporting community recovery and resurgence, ensuring integrity and effectiveness, and planning for the recovery and rebuilding of Louisiana.

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