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Grant will help retrain timber workers The U.S. Department of Labor has awarded a $450,000 grant to the Job Council in Medford to retrain jobless timber workers in Jackson and Josephine counties, the agency announced Thursday. Frank Iverson, Josephine County Commissioner and Job Council board chairman, said the local funding is part of $5.7 million in statewide grants awarded recently. The money will be used over the next two years as part of the Northwest Economic Adjustment Initiative to provide employment and training assistance to 75 former timber industry workers living in the rural, distressed areas of Jackson and Josephine counties. The grant is intended primarily to target those who lost jobs as a result of reductions in timber harvests. The Job Council anticipates 20 percent of those who will benefit from the grant are homemakers who depended on spousal earnings from timber or wood products jobs. Job Council Executive Director Bruce McGregor said grant funds will go directly to retraining programs of up to two years for vocational choices approved by the organization�s counseling staff. "The money will be used for retraining, including tuition, books and other costs for retraining programs" with average retraining costs of about $6,000 per person, McGregor said. "It�s important for (displaced) workers to get to the Job Council office and apply for assistance." The Job Council, at 673 Market St. In Medford, is funded by the state and federal government. It has provided a variety of employment, training and referral services for more than 25 years. The Job Council has served 1,300 former timber/wood products workers with Department of Labor funding since 1988. More information on the grant or how to apply for assistance is available by calling 776-5100. Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.