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Missouri workforce and higher education receive millions in funding

Governor Mike Parson has assigned $125 million in CARES Act funding to workforce and higher education to help job seekers and students in the state affected by COVID-19.

Initiatives benefitting Missouri’s workforce and higher development received funding last week after Governor Mike Parson announced they are to receive $125 million from the CARES Act, according to a news release from the Missouri Department of Higher Education and Workforce Development.

The money is being distributed to assist with coronavirus relief efforts and will be used toward initiatives such as providing support for job seekers and job training, as well as providing further funding for colleges, universities and students in Missouri.

During a press conference at the state Capitol, Missouri Higher Education and Workforce Development Department Commissioner Zora Mulligan says about $80 million will be used to help public institutions reopen this fall.

“That $80 million can be used for a variety of purposes,” Mulligan said. “It’s very similar to the conversation we’ve been having since March – we know that we need PPE. We know that we need to modify our physical spaces. We know that we need testing capability. We know that we need resources to comply with local health orders.”

Another $23.6 million is designated for staffing, infrastructure and technology to support distance education, among other things. Mulligan says roughly $10 million will also be used to help them expand their capacity for remote learning.

About $9.7 million will help train Missourians for high-demand jobs in information technology, train unemployed workers, and boost the Fast Track Workforce Incentive Grant.

“We all know we have a lot of fellow Missourians around the state who continue to be unemployed,” says Mulligan. “Many of them are going to be using this time to seek training and take advantage of the opportunities available to them.”

Gov. Mike Parson has decided to distribute $1 million of the fund to the Office of Workforce Development and Local Workforce Development Boards to support Missourians safely resuming in-person job searches at job centers across the state.