Merced County agency receives $950,000 grant to help laid-off workers

Amid the dismal news of several business closures this week – two RadioShack stores and a Carrows Restaurant – there are some positive signs on the horizon.

The Merced County Department of Workforce Investment, or Worknet, received a $950,000 grant this month from the state Employment Development Department to help laid-off employees find other opportunities. The grant was announced by the office of Sen. Anthony Cannella, R-Ceres, who helped secure the funding.

“With a higher than average unemployment rate throughout the Central Valley, these business closures and layoffs hit our communities – and ultimately, our economies – extremely hard,” Cannella said in a news release. “When I contacted the EDD to request their support, they were nothing but helpful.”

The grant money will be used in Merced County to help nearly 500 dislocated workers from the closures of two AT&T call centers in August, Mi Pueblo Foods in Atwater and, most recently, the RadioShack stores and Carrows Restaurant.

RadioShack announced this month that it will close more than 1,700 stores after filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, including the Atwater and Los Banos locations. Eight people will be laid off from the two stores. Carrows Restaurant in Merced closed its doors last week, laying off about 25 people.

“In the past, some of these grants were tied to one employer, and we’d have to go back to the state when we had other companies downsizing,” said Robert Morris, director of Worknet. “So this grant is better because it’s broader and can be used for any dislocated workers.”

The department will use the funding to offer career coaching, résumé-writing classes, interviewing preparation and job training. A truck-driving program based in Visalia soon will open a facility on Ashby Road in Merced, officials said, offering people an opportunity to learn a new trade.

“The trucking school is an approved provider on our training list, so we can help pay for people’s classes if they qualify,” said deputy director Shermaene Roemhildt. “Currently we are sending them to the Turlock or Modesto area.”

Matt Bither, vice president of Advanced Career Institute, said the company is looking to start a truck-driving class within the next 30 days. The 25-year-old institute has locations in Visalia and Fresno that offer training in welding and other vocations.

County officials said Worknet’s services are not limited to recently laid-off employees, although the county saw a recent spike from AT&T employees. Veterans and residents looking for higher-paying careers also can utilize the training programs.

The Board of Supervisors expects to approve acceptance of the $950,000 state grant within the next two months, officials said.

This story was originally published February 25, 2015 at 5:35 PM with the headline "Merced County agency receives $950,000 grant to help laid-off workers."