North Carolina has also received a $6.3 million federal grant to retrain nearly 2,000 workers laid off by Burlington Industries and other textile firms. The program will help former textile workers train for jobs as computer and electronic technicians, medical professionals, industrial maintenance and construction workers. The eligible counties are those that have been hit hardest by textile layoffs. The Division of Employment and Training of the North Carolina Dept. of Commerce will administer the program.
      Greater Guilford County Work Force Development Board has qualified for a two-part training program sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor. The $2.7 million program will initially enable 250 workers to receive basic training in computer skills. The second part of the program, slated to begin next fall, will target existing IT workers to advance their skills, thus opening up entry-level positions. "We're looking at helping people so they can build careers and make a sustainable wage," said Lillian Plummer of the Guilford County Work Force Development Board.
      Eastern North Carolina could also gain as much as 1,200 new jobs with the development of three ethanol plants. The facilities slated for construction in Onslow, Martin and Green counties are the brainchild of Raleigh developer William Horton's DFI Group.