Hoosier Organization Lands Workforce Grant

Lafayette-based Tecumseh Area Partnership Inc. is one of nearly 20 organizations nationwide to receive a total of $40 million in grants from the U.S. Department of Labor. The funding is being awarded to address rural healthcare workforce shortages.

Tecumseh Area Partnership, also known as the Region 4 Workforce Board, will receive nearly $2.5 million from the H-1B Rural Healthcare Grant Program. The DOL says the grants are designed to increase the number of people training in healthcare-related jobs that directly impact patient care “by creating sustainable employment and training programs in healthcare occupations serving rural populations.”

The grants were only awarded to public-private partnerships and Tecumseh Area Partnership was the only Indiana recipient. The organization provides workforce development services in Benton, Carroll, Cass, Clinton, Fountain, Howard, Miami, Montgomery, Tippecanoe, Tipton, Warren and White counties.

“The ultimate purpose of these investments is a healthier American public,” said Assistant Secretary of Labor for Employment and Training John Pallasch. “But to meet that goal, underserved rural areas of the country need more and better trained healthcare workers, and these community partnerships will help us meet that goal while creating local buy-in and boosting economic opportunity.”

The DOL says the recipients can use the funding to incorporate new technologies, such as interactive simulations, personalized and virtual instruction, educational gaming and digital tutors.