News Release
ETA News Release: [January 6, 2004]
Contact Name: Lorette Post
Phone Number: 202-693-3984
Labor Department Awards $3 Million To California Manufacturers and Technology Association for High-Tech Training
SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- The U.S. Department of Labor's Employment and Training Administration has awarded $3 million to the California Manufacturers and Technology Association to train 1,744 workers in information technology (IT) and engineering.
"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 $3 million grant will be used to upgrade the skills of workers."
Sacramento-based California Manufacturers and Technology Association will use the Labor Department grant to upgrade the skills of 535 employees at IBM, 175 at Verizon Wireless, 1,022 at Motorola and 12 at NetBotz. To participate, employees must have a bachelor's degree or five years of comparable work experience.
Training, conducted at locations in Minnesota, Colorado, Missouri, New York and Texas, will include classroom learning, e-learning virtual classrooms and interactive instruction from both in-house and external training providers.
Partner employers have committed to matching funds of over $3.3 million in salaries paid to workers during training. Project goals include salary increases and promotional opportunities.
"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 approximately $49 million were awarded competitively to business-led partnerships nationwide to train workers for high-skill, high-tech occupations.
Manufacturers & Technology Association Contact: Brian McMahon 916-498-3338
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