WASHINGTON (AP) - Mayor Vincent Gray has announced a new job training initiative to encourage employers to hire and retrain workers from the district.

Continue reading

In the One City On-the-Job Training Employment Initiative, the district's Department of Employment Services will preselect and screen eligible job seekers. Employers who participate in the initiative and hire eligible district residents will be reimbursed of 50 percent or more of a new hire's gross wages during their training period.

City officials say many employers cannot afford the major business expense of retraining workers and the program will help employers offset most of the retraining costs.

The program is aided by a $627,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Labor.