Job seekers in the Louisiana area may find some help from the federal government. About $2.1 million has been made available for the Acadiana area to help employees get back to work by funding their training. The funding is part of a federal “job-driven national emergency grant” to help those displaced by the recession find their way back into the workforce, according to Cortney Boutte Breaux, a planner with the Lafayette Workforce Investment Board. So far, about a dozen employees have participated in the program. The grant works by reimbursing employers for a new employee's training time, up to $5,000. For many job seekers, the grant program is a major selling point for potential employers. The program especially helps small businesses and start-ups, who may need to hire for new positions, but might not have the training resources necessary to take on a new employee. “It made a difference between [a new employee] getting hired and not getting hired,” said Shane Istre, CEO of Kheiron Safety Services, a small safety consulting company. “Remember, it’s an on-the-job training program. You may know your field, but no matter what job you go to, you’ll need to learn new software or other aspects of a company’s procedures. There’s always training required.”