PROVIDENCE – Mayor Angel Taveras announced last week the city will begin accepting applications for its first fire academy in four years. The move is expected to save millions of dollars in overtime costs. more

PROVIDENCE – A bill that could simplify administration of the RI Works program and boost employment numbers in the state has passed the Senate. more

The New England Institute of Technology is now offering a bachelor of science degree in electrical engineering technology, the school announced Thursday. more

The U.S. Labor Department awarded the R.I. Department of Labor and Training a $1.7 million grant from the Workforce Innovation Fund, Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis announced Thursday. more

For Karen Colby, senior project manager at Gilbane Co., her focus on continuous improvement and her abilities to harness the power of collaboration have proven to be the keys to success in all of her work on construction and engineering projects. more

Through April of this year, Rhode Island continued to have the second-highest unemployment rate in the United States, leaving the state with 62,178 people unemployed. The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for April was 11.2 percent, a one-tenth of a percentage point increase from the March rate. In fact, a double-digit unemployment rate is forecast for Rhode Island through the end of 2013. more

Bryant University’s international business program was ranked 27th in the nation by Bloomberg Businessweek, jumping from its position at 41st last year in the publication’s annual list of specialty business programs. more

The U.S. Department of Labor announced nearly $12 million in grants to states to improve the quality of workforce data, including a $1 million award to the R.I. Department of Labor and Training. more

Home & Hospice Care of Rhode Island and The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University have signed an affiliation agreement that establishes Home & Hospice Care as the major teaching affiliate for hospice and palliative medicine for the school. more

Gov. Lincoln D. Chafee and Governor’s Workforce Board Chair Constance Howes have awarded more than $1 million in matching training grants to Rhode Island employers. more