JAY – A grant exceeding $254,000 from the U.S. Department of labor will assist approximately 73 workers affected by layoffs at Wausau Paper.

“Today’s grant will provide affected workers with supportive services, such as career counseling and retraining in new occupational fields that will enhance their eligibility for re-employment,” said Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis in a news release.

The Maine Department of Labor will receive the $254,516 grant to provide services not available under the Trade Adjustment Assistance program, including skills assessment, counseling, case management, job search and job placement assistance.

Workers eligible for help from the grant are certified as eligible for TAA, a federal program that benefits workers who lose their jobs due to increased imports or shifts of production outside the United States.

The workers will have access to training focused on entrepreneurship, apprenticeships and job opportunities in stable or growing occupations, according to the release.

The Central/Western Maine Workforce Investment Board will operate the project.

Wausau announced in August it would shut down one of its two paper machines at the Otis Mill in Jay and lay off more than 60 percent of the work force.