U.S. Rep. Joe Courtney announced Wednesday that eastern Connecticut will share in a $5.5 million federal grant to help put more than 500 unemployed people back to work.

The so-called Ready to Work grant from the U.S. Department of Labor, targeted for the long-term unemployed seeking to update career skills in information technology, engineering and advanced manufacturing, covers workers and veterans in south central and eastern Connecticut. A total of 567 job-seekers will get retraining to put them back on career paths in occupations with increasing demand, with about 220 of those coming from areas of the state covered by the Eastern Connecticut Workforce Investment Board - including Windham and New London counties.

About $2 million of the nearly $170 million in federal grants announced Wednesday will be focused on eastern Connecticut, said John Beauregard, executive director of the Franklin-based workforce board, which applied for the grant in partnership with the New Haven-based Workforce Alliance. New London County has been one of the hardest hit areas in the country in terms of jobs regained after the Great Recession.

"I applaud all of the manufacturers in eastern Connecticut who worked so closely with us," Beauregard said in a phone interview. "The network of employer partners has been building."

According to a description of the program, employer participants will hire workers as full-time employees and offer about 14 weeks of training. During the training period, employers will get wage reimbursements ranging from 50 percent to 75 percent of pay.

"These resources will help get Connecticut's long-term unemployed back on the job, with the skills they need to compete and succeed," Courtney, D-2nd District, said in a statement.

Beauregard said the on-the-job training element is critical to the success of the Connecticut Ready to Work Initiative. He said many of the skills needed by today's employers are not being met by the state's or nation's education systems. Connecticut, however, has turned things around and is working hard to align its high schools and college technical schools with the needs of employers, he added.

"Things are starting to pick back up now," he said.

The Labor Department noted that grants were funded with revenues from the H1-B visa program. Grants ranged from $3 million to $10 million and were given to entities in 23 states and Puerto Rico.

l.howard@theday.com

Twitter: @KingstonLeeHow