[StBernard] Training grants available for people affected by BP oil spill

[Westley Annis]

Training grants available for people affected by BP oil spill

Published: Tuesday, January 25, 2011, 2:00 PM     Updated: Tuesday, January
25, 2011, 3:12 PM

 By The Times-Picayune 

A meeting will be held in St. Bernard Parish on Thursday to announce a grant
program for residents and businesses affected by the BP oil spill.

The meeting will be at 10 a.m. at the Islenos Museum Multi Purpose Building,
1357 Bayou Road, in the St. Bernard community.

A total of $1.05 million has been allocated to St. Bernard, St. Tammany and
Plaquemines parishes. Individuals or businesses may be eligible for
financial assistance up to $5,000.

The grants are designed to support long-term training for individuals who,
because of the spill, will not be able to return to their previous lines of
employment. Training may include classroom training, on-the-job training and
entrepreneurial, or micro-enterprise, training.

Employers may be reimbursed for on-the-job training through a sliding scale
based on the size of the business: up to 90 percent for 50 or fewer
employees; up to 75 percent for employers with 51-250 employers; and up to
50 percent for businesses with more than 250 employees.

Entrepreneurial, or micro-enterprise, training may be provided for people
interested in starting or expanding a small business, which can range from
general business courses to specific courses addressing such topics as legal
and personnel issues.

The program is administered through the Louisiana Workforce Commission,
which will host Thursday's meeting.