ETA News Release: [November 1, 2004]
Contact Name: Lorette Post
Phone Number: 202-693-3984 or X4676
U.S. Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao Announces $2 Million to Train Geospatial Industry Workers in Charlotte, N.C., and Nashville, Tenn.
WASHINGTON - U.S. Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao today announced a $2 million grant to provide geospatial technology training for workers in Charlotte, N.C., and Nashville, Tenn. The grant, awarded to the Institute for GIS Studies (IGISS), is part of the President's High Growth Job Training Initiative, which is helping workers find and prepare for jobs in America's fastest growing industries.
"The fast-growing geospatial industry offers an array of exciting job opportunities," said Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao. "This $2 million investment in geospatial technology training will equip workers with the skills necessary to take advantage of those opportunities."
With the grant, IGISS will establish geospatial business hubs in Charlotte, N.C., and Nashville, Tenn., to provide apprenticeship training in geospatial technology applications. The grantee will develop a curriculum and deliver training in geospatial-based land management and utilities services in both regions of the country.
"Providing the highly technical training required of workers in the geospatial field will enable the U.S. workforce to compete in today's global economy," said Assistant Secretary of Labor for Employment and Training Emily Stover DeRocco. "The apprenticeship training, user-focused curricula and distance learning approaches developed through this grant will be a model that can be replicated across the country to train workers in geospatial technologies."
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, like today's grant, 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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