A new programbecomes available this week to help laid-off rural workers start their ownsmall business.   The program isoffered as part of a U.S. Department of Labor demonstration called ProjectGATE, or Growing America Through Entrepreneurship. GATE targets dislocatedworkers from rural counties for a variety of assistance directly related tostarting and running a business.   “This programhas the potential to do far more than provide a source of income forindividuals who’ve lost jobs,” said Billy Ray Hall,president of the N.C. Rural Economic Development Center. “It can help us buildhomegrown economies in struggling communities all across the state.”   Unemployment inNorth Carolina’s 85 rural counties hit 12.3 percent in February. Seventeenrural counties had jobless rates of 15 percent or higher.   Rural unemploymentcan be attributed in large part to continuing layoffs and closings by textile,furniture and other traditional manufacturers. With other jobs scarce,self-employment may help keep rural workers in their communities. Thatpotential is reflected in the growing numbers of dislocated workers expressinginterest in creating their own job or small business, Hall said.   Project GATEwill operate as a scholarship program, with up to 750 scholarships likely to beawarded in North Carolina. Selected individuals will be eligible for individualassessment of entrepreneurial skills, business and entrepreneurship courses,and focused, one-on-one business counseling.   Participantsalso will be introduced to a statewide network of business resourceprofessionals. Those who complete workable business plans will be eligible toapply for microenterprise loans. The program, however, will not award grants toindividuals or businesses.    In NorthCarolina, Project GATE is being offered as a cooperative venture of the N.C.Department of Commerce, the N.C. Community College System – Small BusinessCenter Network, the Employment Security Commission of North Carolina, NorthCarolina REAL Enterprises, local JobLink Career Centers and the Rural Center.   Locally, theSmall Business Centers of eight community colleges, which serve 13 ruralcounties, are partnering with their local JobLink Career Centers to provideGATE services. Dislocated workers in other rural counties may participatethrough a “virtual site” that includes counseling by telephone and onlinetraining programs combined with training and business counseling at localcommunity colleges.   Interestedindividuals should visit their local JobLink Career Center, which will helpdetermine eligibility. Applications will be available at the JobLink office andonline at www.ncprojectgate.org.Additional information may be obtained online or by phone toll-free at1-877-9NC-GATE.