ETA News Release: [June 24, 2005]
Contact Name: David James or Mike Volpe
Phone Number: 202-693-4676 or 202-693-3984
U.S. Secretary of Labor Announces $3.5 Million to Train Alabama Workers for Careers in Advanced Manufacturing
WASHINGTON – U.S. Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao today announced a $3.5 million grant to the Alabama Workforce Investment Board. The grant is part of an effort to train workers for careers in the advanced manufacturing industry as part of the President’s High Growth Job Training Initiative.
“The manufacturing sector is changing and evolving in the 21st Century economy. That means manufacturing workers need to increasingly possess highly refined technical skills and knowledge,” said Chao. “This $3.5 million to create a Center for Manufacturing Innovation at Calhoun Community College will help train workers with cutting-edge skills so they can find good jobs in advanced manufacturing.”
Through the grant, the Alabama Workforce Investment Board will create a Center for Manufacturing Innovation at Calhoun Community College to address the diverse needs of Alabama’s manufacturers. The project will provide training in advanced manufacturing processes and technologies with curriculum and delivery options that allow students to enter and exit the program at multiple points.
Based on input from One-Stop Career Centers, local employers and Manufacture Alabama -- a full-service trade association representing the state’s manufacturers and partner industries -- the project will target students in the Industrial Maintenance and Machine Tool Technology program who will serve as a pilot group for ongoing evaluation of the program. Instruction will be furnished through web-based and traditional classroom training.
“Calhoun Community College is redefining postsecondary technical education to ensure that Alabama workers can gain math, engineering, and computer programming skills while also understanding supply-chain management and the integration of automated systems they need to succeed in 21st century manufacturing environments,” said Assistant Secretary of Labor for Employment and Training Emily Stover DeRocco. “The college, in partnership with the Center for Manufacturing Innovation, will establish curricula that focus on providing workers with the right technical skills.”
Through the President’s High Growth Job Training Initiative, the Department of Labor has been conducting executive forums with leaders of expanding industries to identify critical workforce gaps and issues. Solutions are chosen and are carried out in cooperation with employers, educational institutions and the public workforce system. For more information, visit www.doleta.gov/BRG/JobTrainInitiative/.
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