WASHINGTON   –  The federal Department of Labor will make an initial grant award of $482,998 to the Missouri Division of Workforce Development, U.S. Representative Jo Ann Emerson (MO-08) announced today.  The award, which can be expanded up to an amount of $803,340, will provide career counseling, case management and follow-up services to workers affected by the closures of Rowe Furniture in Poplar Bluff and Dan Corporation in Cape Girardeau.

“These funds come at a critical time for families affected by the closure of two major employers in the Eighth Congressional District,” Emerson said.  “The grant will be put to good use helping to strengthen our workforce in the Poplar Bluff and Cape Girardeau areas.  We have hard-working, highly skilled men and women in the job market in Southern Missouri, and we need to find the best opportunities available to them so our manufacturing economy remains a robust national leader.”

The funds are a supplement to the Trade Adjustment Assistance program announced earlier this year.