The Washington Employment Security Department will receive nearly $2.5 million in federal funding to improve employment opportunities for adults and youth with disabilities.

The money is being awarded as part of the Disability Employment Initiative, a joint initiative of the U.S. Department of Labor’s Employment Training Administration and the Office of Disability Employment Policy. Washington is one of six states that will receive grants totaling $14.9 million, U.S. DOL announced this week.

That grants will help fund services provided by the King and Snohomish Workforce Development Councils, community colleges in King and Snohomish counties, the Washington Business Alliance, the Washington Access Fund, Community-Minded Enterprises and Governor Jay Inslee’s Disability Employment Task Force.

“Our country succeeds when everyone is given the opportunity to succeed,” said U.S. Secretary of Labor Thomas E. Perez. “The grants we are awarding today will increase employment opportunities for people with disabilities by connecting them to job-driven training programs that provide them with the skills to compete for high-demand industry jobs.”