Unemployed people in north, southeast, and west Alabama can benefit from a $4.4 million federal grant for free job skills training, the Alabama Department of Labor and Department of Commerce announced this week.

The grant, from the U.S. Department of Labor, can help unemployed or laid-off workers get training needed for jobs in advanced manufacturing, including the auto and aerospace industries, healthcare, information technology, construction, and transportation, distribution and logistics, which would include jobs such as commercial truck driving and operating a forklift.

People can sign up for skills training online through the Department of Commerce Alabama Works! portal.

Or they can visit an Alabama Career Center in person for an assessment based on their background and interests. Here is a map showing Career Center locations, and a list of centers.

The grant is intended for Alabamians living in these counties:

North Alabama: Colbert, Cullman, DeKalb, Franklin, Jackson, Lauderdale, Lawrence, Limestone, Madison, Marion, Marshall, Morgan, and Winston counties.

West Alabama: Bibb, Fayette, Greene, Hale, Lamar, Marengo, Sumter, Tuscaloosa, and Pickens counties.

Southeast Alabama: Barbour, Butler, Coffee, Covington, Crenshaw, Dale, Geneva, Henry, Houston, and Pike counties.

The federal funds are administered by the Alabama Department of Commerce’s Workforce Development Division. The Alabama Department of Labor manages the Career Centers.