PUBLIC INFORMATION OFFICE
JET PROPULSION LABORATORY
CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION
PASADENA, CALIF. 91109. TELEPHONE (818) 354-5011

Contact: Diane Ainsworth

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                June 22, 1994


       The Jet Propulsion Laboratory's efforts in minority employment and training will be recognized this week with an award from a major community organization.

       JPL Deputy Director Larry Dumas will accept the Employment and Training Award from the Pasadena-Foothill branch of the Los Angeles Urban League at its ninth annual Business Outlook Luncheon on Thursday, June 23, from noon to 2 p.m. at the Pasadena Hilton Hotel.

       The luncheon will feature a keynote address by Dr. Oliver Goldsmith, medical director and chairman of the board for the Southern California Kaiser Permanente Medical Group, and a variety of awards honoring community, academic and corporate leaders who have supported minority hiring and training programs in partnership with the local chapter of the Urban League.

       JPL will receive the Employment and Training Award on behalf of several successful minority employment and training programs that have been implemented in the last year.

       The JPL "Gateway Community Outreach" programs were initiated by the Laboratory's Equal Opportunity Office and the Urban League to support disadvantaged and underemployed workers interested in developing additional job skills for promotional opportunities in the local community.

       "The partnership we have formed with JPL has been wonderfully beneficial to participants in Urban League programs and to the community as a whole," said Shirley Adams, director of the Urban League's Pasadena-Foothill branch. "The programs we have in place are giving them on-the-job training, computer instruction and exposure to the sciences, experiences that will become invaluable in preparing them for the future."

       JPL has implemented three job training programs for eligible Urban League recipients, including the Computer Skills Training Program, which is run by JPL volunteers who offer computer training classes several nights a week.

       Other employment and training programs include the Lab's Clerical/Secretarial Trainee Program, which offers on-the-job training in clerical and secretarial duties, and the Summer Hire Referrals Program, which provides temporary summer jobs to individuals referred by the Urban League.

       More than 500 community and corporate leaders are expected to attend the Urban League's Business Outlook Luncheon, with proceeds going to Urban League programs for employment and training, economic development, educational outreach programs and multiracial community involvement.

       For further information, contact the Urban League office at (818) 398-6155 or (213) 681-6008.


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