LOCAL NEWS — The U.S. Department of Labor and Workforce released new unemployment numbers Thursday morning … and it’s not good. More than 6.65 million Americans filed for unemployment benefits last week. That total is up from the 3.3 million that applied the week before.

Motlow College announced this week that they’ve launched a new Motlow Trained Workforce Relief Fund to help folks in Moore and the other 10 counties they service the training they need to get back to work.

The fund was specifically created to offer training through the Department of Workforce Innovation’s MotlowTrained program at no cost to those who have been financially impacted by COVID-19 throughout Motlow’s eleven-county service area. The goal is to provide an opportunity for those who are now facing financial hardship to upskill for advancement into higher-paying positions, re-enter the workforce, or make a career pivot, according to a press release. All classes will be delivered online.

Of you’d like to make a donation to the fund visit the Motlow College Foundation webpage and select the option to “Make a Gift.” To ensure that your donation goes towards the Workforce Relief Fund, please be sure to type the word “RELIEF” in the special instructions line. All donations made to the MotlowTrained Workforce Relief Fund will go directly towards delivering the MotlowTrained program to those financially impacted by the COVID-19 crisis, the college said.

Those interested in registering for the MotlowTrained program should email the Department of Workforce Innovation at [email protected]. •  

{The Lynchburg Times is the only independently owned and operated newspaper in Moore County … covering Metro Moore County government, Jack Daniel’s Distillery, Nearest Green Distillery, the Lynchburg Music Fest, Tims Ford State Park, Motlow State Community College, Moore County High School, Moore County Middle School, Lynchburg Elementary, Raider Sports, plus regional and state news.}