ETA News Release: [October 20, 2004]
Contact Name: Lorette Post or Ed Frank
Phone Number: 202-693-3984 or 202-693-4676
U.S. Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao Announces $900,000 Grant to Train Workers For Careers in the Automotive Industry
Grant Is Part of $6.3 Million Automotive Industry Initiative
KENOSHA, Wis.-U.S. Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao today announced a $900,000 grant to prepare workers for careers in the automotive industry by increasing the number and quality of training and education programs. Deputy Secretary of Labor Steven J. Law was in Kenosha to present the award to Gateway Technical College. The grant is part of a $6.3 million effort for automotive industry training funded under the President's High Growth Job Training Initiative.
"The automotive services sector faces serious labor shortages over the next 10 years," said Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao. "This grant will help solve this industry's workforce needs and give job seekers the enhanced skills they need for good careers in the automotive industry."
Gateway Technical College and its partners will develop training models that meet National Automotive Technicians Education Foundation (NATEF) industry standards and lead to NATEF certification. On-line, classroom, train-the-trainer and direct delivery training can be used across industry sectors and can be tailored to meet specific employer needs. The grantee will also train over 500 secondary and postsecondary instructors to act as an evaluation team and offer guidance on industry standards as programs proliferate across the country.
"The automotive industry plays a major role in our economy, and is rapidly innovating to stay competitive," said Law. "Today's workers need additional training for the innovative jobs of the future, and that's what this grant will help provide."
Key partners involved in this project include Snap-on Incorporated, the Wisconsin Automobile and Truck Dealers Association (WATDA), Automotive Youth Educational Systems (AYES), the Melior Institute, and the National Coalition of Advanced Technology Centers (NCATC).
The President's High Growth Job Training Initiative is a strategic effort to better prepare workers to take advantage of new job opportunities in high growth sectors of the American economy. Through executive forums with leaders of expanding industries, critical workforce gaps and issues are identified. Solutions are then created in cooperation with employers, educational institutions and the public workforce system. For more information, visit www.doleta.gov/BRG/JobTrainInitiative/.
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