Golden LEAF Foundation to Fund Job Training

The Golden LEAF Foundation, the North Carolina foundation turning cigarette industry money into jobs, said Friday it has $3.5 million for non-profits that develop short-term programs giving workers new skills.

Foundation president Dan Gerlach said there are jobs in sheet metal fabrication and weatherization.

The need for worker retraining has meant 15,000 new students flooding into community colleges since the Fall.

Golden LEAF receives half of North Carolina’s share of money from cigarette companies since 1998’s national tobacco settlement. The foundation has made more than 700 grants worth $370 million.