WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Labor has awarded $2 million to the Kentucky Department of Workforce Development to provide employment and training services for people affected by mass layoffs and plant closures in 25 counties.
Between August 2025 and March 2026, layoffs at several manufacturing companies impacted 2,414 workers. The affected employers include Akebono Brake Corporation, BlueOval SK, Fritz Winter North America LP, Kentucky Cooperage LP, Moveret Inc., and Russellville Engineered Castings Inc..
Officials said the number of layoffs at major manufacturing and advanced production facilities has strained the region’s labor market, which has limited capacity to absorb displaced workers into similar jobs.
The funding comes through a National Dislocated Worker Grant administered by the department’s Employment and Training Administration. The grant will allow the Kentucky workforce agency to offer retraining and skills development programs for affected workers.
The services will be available to workers in Allen, Barren, Breckinridge, Bullitt, Butler, Edmonson, Grayson, Hardin, Hart, Henry, Jefferson, LaRue, Logan, Marion, Meade, Metcalfe, Monroe, Nelson, Oldham, Shelby, Simpson, Spencer, Trimble, Warren, and Washington counties.
The program is supported by the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act of 2014, which provides funding for states and local workforce boards to assist communities experiencing major economic disruptions that create workforce needs beyond available resources.
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