Skip to content
Triangle Local

Wake County

Wake County: Capital Area board awarded $5.8 million to help laid-off workers

The Labor Department listed $5,797,825 for the Capital Area Workforce Development Board. The board says the three-year project is meant to reach 628 people in 15 counties.

ConfirmedThe main facts are confirmed by official or first-hand sources.

By Triangle Local Staff · Published

The downtown Raleigh skyline on a sunny day

File photo: Abhiram Juvvadi (CC BY-SA 4.0), via Wikimedia Commons.

What we know

Confirmed

  • The U.S. Department of Labor, in an Oct. 19, 2026, release, said it awarded $95.5 million in Rapid Reskill Dislocated Worker Grants for 20 projects in 17 states. The recipient table lists Capital Area Workforce Development Board, North Carolina, at $5,797,825.Confirmed by U.S. Department of Labor, Oct. 19, 2026
  • That release said the grants are meant to connect workers affected by layoffs with training and jobs in growing industries, including domestic manufacturing and construction, and that they are supported by the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act.Confirmed by U.S. Department of Labor, Oct. 19, 2026
  • Capital Area Workforce Development Board, on its own site, described a $5.8 million Rapid Reskill Dislocated Worker grant for a three-year project meant to serve 628 laid-off workers across central and southeastern North Carolina.Confirmed by Capital Area Workforce Development Board
  • The board said it will lead the work with the Mid-Carolina and Lumber River Workforce Development Boards, the N.C. Department of Commerce's Division of Workforce Solutions, and NC LEAD.Confirmed by Capital Area Workforce Development Board; CBS 17, Oct. 28, 2026
  • The board listed 15 counties: Capital Area (Chatham, Johnston, Lee, Orange, and Wake); Lumber River (Bladen, Hoke, Richmond, Robeson, and Scotland); and Mid-Carolina (Cumberland, Harnett, Montgomery, Moore, and Sampson).Confirmed by Capital Area Workforce Development Board
  • The board said the project aims to reach workers within 30 days of a layoff, pair them with career guidance, and emphasize advanced manufacturing and construction, including Registered Apprenticeships and short-term training tied to employer needs.Confirmed by Capital Area Workforce Development Board
  • CBS 17, writing Wednesday from that award, independently reported the $5.8 million figure, the 36-month / 628-worker target, the 15-county scope, and the same partner list. It also named Wake, Chatham, Johnston, Lee, and Orange as the Capital Area counties.Confirmed by CBS 17, Oct. 28, 2026

Still unknown

  • When enrollment starts, and how a laid-off worker applies
  • How much of the $5,797,825 is spent here
  • Whether any local layoff named in recent coverage is already in the project

What this means for you

Instructions from U.S. Department of Labor, Oct. 19, 2026; Capital Area Workforce Development Board

This site is not the Capital Area Workforce Development Board, the N.C. Department of Commerce, or the U.S. Department of Labor. For the award and any later signup details, use those agencies. This site is not an emergency service. If anyone is in danger, call 911.

What happened

In Wake County, the Capital Area Workforce Development Board has been awarded $5,797,825 to help laid-off workers, according to a U.S. Department of Labor table dated Oct. 19.

The board's own page rounds that figure to $5.8 million and describes a three-year project meant to reach 628 people. CBS 17, writing Wednesday, independently used the $5.8 million figure, a 36-month span, and the 628-person target.

Labor's release said the Rapid Reskill Dislocated Worker Grants total $95.5 million for 20 projects in 17 states. It wrote that the money is meant to move people who lost jobs into training and work in growing industries, including factories and building trades.

The local board said it will lead the work with the Mid-Carolina and Lumber River workforce boards, the N.C. Department of Commerce's Division of Workforce Solutions, and NC LEAD. CBS 17 named the same partners.

On the board's page, the 15 counties are grouped as Capital Area (Chatham, Johnston, Lee, Orange, and Wake), Lumber River (Bladen, Hoke, Richmond, Robeson, and Scotland), and Mid-Carolina (Cumberland, Harnett, Montgomery, Moore, and Sampson).

The board wrote that it aims to reach people within 30 days of a layoff, offer career guidance, and put weight on advanced manufacturing and construction, including Registered Apprenticeships and short-term training tied to what employers say they need.

The pages we read do not say when enrollment starts or how a person applies.

This site is not the board, the state, or the Labor Department. If anyone is in danger, call 911.

What we don't know yet

When people can enroll, and how they apply. How much of the award is spent here. Whether any recent local layoff is already part of the project.

Photos

Text-only. No outlet or agency photos are used here.

Why it matters

A federal award to the Wake-based board is meant to reach laid-off workers in Wake, Lee, Robeson, Cumberland, Johnston, Harnett, Chatham, Orange, and seven other counties. People who just lost a job need the official amount, the county list, and that an application process has not been posted in the pages we read.

Updates

  1. Oct 28, 2026, 5:56 AM

    The Labor Department's Oct. 19 table lists $5,797,825 for the Capital Area Workforce Development Board. The board's own page and CBS 17 describe a $5.8 million, three-year project meant to reach 628 laid-off workers in 15 counties.

Sources

  1. US Department of Labor awards $95.5M in grants to support innovative programs for reskilling, reemploying dislocated workers (Oct. 19, 2026: Rapid Reskill Dislocated Worker Grants; 20 projects in 17 states; Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act; recipient table, Capital Area Workforce Development Board, NC, $5,797,825)

    Official sourcePublished by U.S. Department of Labor · Checked Oct 28, 2026, 5:50 AM

  2. CAWD Awarded $5.8M to Help Laid-Off Workers Return to Work (Capital Area Workforce Development Board: Rapid Reskill Dislocated Worker grant; three-year initiative; 628 laid-off workers; partners Mid-Carolina and Lumber River boards, N.C. Commerce Division of Workforce Solutions, NC LEAD; reach workers within 30 days; Registered Apprenticeships; short-term training; advanced manufacturing and construction; 15 counties listed by board region)

    Official sourcePublished by Capital Area Workforce Development Board · Checked Oct 28, 2026, 5:50 AM

  3. Wake County-led workplace board wins over $5 million to help laid-off workers (CBS 17 / WNCN, Jake Casey, posted Oct. 28, 2026, 4:58 a.m. EDT: $5.8 million; 36-month initiative; 628 laid-off workers; 15 North Carolina counties; Rapid Reskill Dislocated Worker grant; Capital Area board serves Wake, Chatham, Johnston, Lee and Orange; Mid-Carolina and Lumber River boards; NC LEAD; N.C. Commerce Division of Workforce Solutions; $95.5 million federal total, 20 projects, 17 states. CBS 17's NCCareers.org and Shinica Thomas lines are not used here. Text-only; no CBS 17 photos.)

    Published by CBS 17 · Checked Oct 28, 2026, 5:50 AM

Related stories