News Release
ETA News Release: [January 6, 2004]
Contact Name: Lorette Post
Phone Number: 202-693-3984
Secretary of Labor Awards Nearly $3 Million to Northern Arizona Council of Governments
SAN FRANCISCO - The U.S. Labor Department has awarded $2.9 million to the Northern Arizona Council of Governments to upgrade the skills of 350 degreed engineers and scientists in the engineering and advanced manufacturing fields.
"This Administration is committed to helping workers get the training they need to get good paying jobs," said U.S. Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao. "This $2.9 million grant will be used to upgrade the skills of workers."
The grant will provide skill certifications in the areas of semiconductor processing, environmental testing, lean manufacturing, rapid prototyping, ultra low power electronics, computational engineering, advanced robotics, microelectronics, materials research, electro-optic technology, and others.
Partner employer matching funds of nearly $1.5 million will be expanded by an additional $565,000 in waived costs and in-kind services, bringing the total match to over $2 million.
"This grant illustrates the kind of workforce development partnerships we are encouraging to address the challenges facing 21st century businesses," said Emily Stover DeRocco, assistant secretary of labor for employment and training. "When businesses identify the skills their workforce needs, educators and our public workforce system can be key players in preparing workers for the highly skilled jobs in high-demand fields."
This grant and others totaling $19.4 million were awarded to local workforce investment boards that have local or regional public/private partnerships with business and community organizations.
No. Arizona Council of Governments Contact: Dr. Claudia Follet, 321-449-1059
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