The Vermont Healthcare and Information Technology Education Center (HITEC) has received $2 million in funding for the state's  workforce development training project that seeks to match unemployed and underemployed Vermonters with their future employers.

U.S. Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) said the funding, which he secured at last year's annual appropriations bill, was released by the U.S. Department of Labor.

Vermont HITEC, which is located in Williston, will train Vermonters with aptitudes and strong interests in a variety of fields, including information technology, healthcare, and advanced manufacturing.  The center has successfully trained Vermonters for specialized positions such as software developers, Web developers, medical coders, phlebotomists and CNC Machinists.  With the funding secured by Leahy, Vermont HITEC will identify a pool of unemployed and underemployed Vermonters and develop education and training curricula leading directly to filling vacant positions with pre-selected employers.

 "Training and practical experience can turn the liability of unemployment and underemployment into assets, turning lives around and planting the seeds for the economic future we want for our state.  As the economy slowly improves, businesses are making strategic decisions about their future.  That adds even greater urgency to the work of preparing Vermonters for the jobs of tomorrow, right here at home," said Leahy.

The workforce development training project is an ongoing collaborative project among educators, employers and economic development partners at the federal, state, and local levels in Vermont.  They include the Vermont Department of Labor One-Stop Career Centers, River Valley Community College, the Vermont Software Developers Alliance, Dealer.com in Burlington, Fletcher Allen Health Care in Burlington, Husky Injection Molding in Milton, Clara Martin Center in Randolph, Hypertherm in Hanover, N.H., and other area employers.