Illinois Gov. Pritzker announced a new $16.6-million investment to expand job opportunities for Illinoisans who have lost their jobs during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Through two new grants received from the U.S. Department of Labor, the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity will distribute funding to place, train and hire nearly 1,300 residents for an array of jobs related to the ongoing pandemic response.

The funding includes an $8.3-million grant from the federal Disaster Recovery Grant Program and an $8.3-million grant from the federal Employment Recovery Grant—both part of the National Dislocated Worker Program.

The grants will provide out-of-work Illinoisans with training and employment in jobs that assist local disaster relief programs and industries in high demand amidst the pandemic. Funded positions include COVID-19 recovery-related temporary jobs to help mitigate COVID-19 in communities, such as contact tracers, COVID-19 protocol workers, building sanitization workers, temperature screeners, and food preparation and distribution workers identified by local communities.

A full list of COVID-19 workforce training grantees as well as their program offerings is available on the DCEO website ( Article Link Here "> Website Link Here ) as well as Get Hired Illinois ( Article Link Here "> Website Link Here ).