Virginia Governor Ralph Northam will use $30 million in federal CARES funding for a new workforce training program designed to help recently unemployed residents.

The program — Re-Employing Virginians — will provide unemployed or furloughed workers with scholarships for enrollment in workforce or community college programs. Northern Virginia and Hampton Roads Local Workforce Development Areas will be receiving $3 million in CARES funding, while the Virginia Community College System will have $27 million to facilitate the REV program.

“Virginians who have been furloughed, had hours reduced, or lost a job because of the pandemic are struggling and wondering what the future holds,” Northam said in a statement on Friday. “Investing in programs that help people develop skills in high-demand fields is a win for workers, employers, and our economy.”

According to the program’s website, any resident who filed for unemployment benefits on or after Aug. 1; lost a full-time job and currently earns less than $15 per hour; or saw hours cut and now earns less than $15 per hour, is eligible for funding. Individual participants will reach receive $3,000 to register for a full-time workforce program, and individuals looking to enroll in part-time or short-term, noncredit programs are eligible to receive $1,500. The initiative focuses on training across five industries: health care, information technology, skilled trades, public safety, and early childhood education.

Over the course of the pandemic, Virginia has seen unemployment rates skyrocket and troubling job loss. Per the Virginia Employment Commission’s latest numbers, establishments in the commonwealth lost an estimated 207,100 jobs from September 2019 to September 2020.

Out of 11 major industries, 10 saw a decline in their workforce, with leisure and hospitality marking the most severe downtown. The industry reported a drop of 76,400 jobs over the past year — a 18.7% decline. The commonwealth’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 6.2 percent in September, compared to 2.7 the same time last year.

The new program is designed to boost employment numbers by allowing recently unemployed or furloughed residents training in high-demand fields.

“More than 70 percent of Virginians who have filed for unemployment have some college or less,” Virginia Secretary of Education Atif Qarni said in a statement. “Increasing educational opportunity for those who have recently lost jobs will build resiliency in the Commonwealth’s workforce, equip Virginians with the credentials they need to get back to work, and move Virginia closer to our goal of being the best-educated state by 2030.”

The scholarship could go a long way for individuals looking to enroll in courses at a VCCS campus. According to the system’s website, one credit hour costs $154 for in-state students, meaning the $3,000 from the REV program could easily cover a schedule of five, three-credit courses.

VCCS campuses — which in previous years enrolled a total of more than 200,000 students — are conducting virtual learning this fall. Last month, the system announced that most classes across its more than 20 campuses would be remaining virtual in the spring. Only certain programs like technical education and science labs will happen face-to-face.

This is the latest allocation of the state’s CARES funding; the governor also announced this month that a portion of the funds would go toward free medical clinics, child care providers, and hazard pay for home health workers.