Some States Use Pandemic Relief Funds to Train Workers At least nine states are using short-term training programs to help combat the economic downturn caused by the coronavirus pandemic. But some experts want to fund community colleges to improve the payoff. Sophie Quinton, Stateline.org | December 15, 2020 | Analysis (TNS) — Renato Queiroz used to be a catering manager for a hotel in Newport, R.I., a historic town known for its yachts and Gilded Age mansions. “I dealt with a lot of weddings,” he said recently. Then the coronavirus pandemic hit, and Queiroz, 31, decided to quit the floundering hospitality industry and try something new.