WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced an award of $3.5 million to the Montana Department of Labor and Industry for employment and training services for people in the state’s communities affected by the Sibanye-Stillwater mine layoffs. The department’s Employment and Training Administration oversees the award, which will allow the state to provide retraining and skills development for eligible individuals affected by the layoff as well as other dislocated workers in Carbon, Golden Valley, Meagher, Musselshell, Park, Stillwater, Sweet Grass, Wheatland and Yellowstone counties. “The Employment and Training Administration is committed to ensuring Montana workers laid off by Sibanye-Stillwater have access to assistance,” said Assistant Secretary for Employment and Training José Javier Rodríguez. “This Dislocated Worker Grant provides critical support to Montana by providing employment and training services to workers displaced by the layoffs.”Supported by the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act of 2014, National Dislocated Worker Grants provide a state or local board with funding for direct services and assistance in areas experiencing a major economic dislocation event that leads to workforce needs exceeding available resources.