• Manufacturing lay-offs have created a number of displaced Illinois workers.welding stars image by Kaarel from Fotolia.com
  
  According to the Illinois Department of Employment Security, the number of displaced workers in the state during just the first two months of 2010 averaged over 15,000. Since 2007, the State of Illinois has had over 390,000 lay-offs. Understanding that this large job loss in Illinois has created high unemployment and a number of displaced workers, the federal government is trying to alleviate these economic pressures by enacting a number of grant programs for Illinois' displaced worker population.
  
  

Federal Direct Student Loans

• The federal government understands that a high percentage of displaced workers must go back to school for retraining or upgrading their skills. As a result, they have lowered the adult financial aid qualifications and are providing more grants and subsidized low interest loans for vocational, undergraduate, and graduate post-secondary education. Some grants programs such as the Pell Grant program give money directly to displaced workers. To apply for federally funded educational grants or grant subsidized loan program contact the administrative offices of any Illinois based school.
  
  

Emergency Food Assistance Program

• The U.S Department of Agriculture provides the grant money used for the Illinois Emergency Food Assistance Program, which helps provide emergency food assistance to displaced workers and other needy Illinois residents. Displaced workers can apply for Emergency Food Assistance through the Illinois Department of Human Services.
  
  

National Emergency Grants

• The National Emergency Grant programs are designed to expand the dislocated worker service programs provided by Illinois. Illinois unions have benefited from this grant money by creating work re-education programs and using the funds to help and support displaced workers during Illinois plant closures and lay-offs. Displaced workers must be union members to benefit from these union run programs; however National Emergency Grants are also used to extend displaced worker benefits from other Illinois grant programs such as Workforce.
  
  

Integrated Systems Technology Program

• The Integrated Systems Technology Program is administered in Illinois through the Workforce program. Started in 2003 through a grant of $4.7 million from the U.S. Department of Labor, the program has been funded through federal and state grants to train displaced workers for new jobs in the technology and technology-manufacturing sector. Displaced workers can find out more about these programs through the Illinois Workforce Development System.
  
  

Community Services Block Grants

• Community Services Block Grants are not given to individual displaced workers but to areas of the stated affected by economic dislocation or plant closures. The grant is networked into a community through neighborhood-based organizations, and provides low-interest business loans, education, training, and support services for unemployed and displaced workers.