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ETA News Release: [10/19/2004]
Contact Name: Ed
Frank or Lorette Post
Phone Number: 202-693-4676 or 693-3984
U.S. Secretary of Labor Announces
$24.2 Million Advanced Manufacturing Initiative
First Grant of $3.2 Million Awarded to Oregon Manufacturing Extension Partnership
BEAVERTON, Ore.—U.S. Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao today
announced a new national Advanced Manufacturing Initiative totaling more
than $24.2 million to address workforce challenges in this growing field.
As part of the kickoff, Deputy Secretary of Labor Steven J. Law visited Beaverton
to present the first grant of $3.2 million to the Oregon Manufacturing Extension
Partnership (MEP). The Advanced Manufacturing grants are part of the President's
High Growth Job Training Initiative, a strategic effort to
prepare workers with the skills they need to take advantage of new job opportunities
in high growth sectors of the American economy.
“Today we are kicking off a new $24.2 million initiative to train workers
for the next manufacturing industry generation,” said Secretary of Labor
Elaine L. Chao. “To remain competitive in a global economy, manufacturers
need workers skilled in advanced manufacturing techniques. Today's grant
of $3.2 million to the Oregon MEP will add at least 2,000 workers with those
skills in the food processing segment of the industry.”
The Labor Department investment will allow the Idaho, Oregon and Washington
MEPs and the Nevada Management Assistance Partnership (MAP) to provide lean
manufacturing training for 48 food processing companies. Hispanic workers,
who make up about 30 percent of the region's food manufacturing workforce,
will be a major focus of the project which will have a strong English language
component. On-the-job training will be conducted and each participating company
will identify a bilingual leader to provide ongoing support for workers.
“American manufacturing is transforming itself to meet the challenges of
the future,” said Deputy Secretary Law, who presented the check to the Oregon
MEP. “Food processing, one of our leading manufacturing sectors, has maintained
steady growth and needs a new generation of workers with high-tech skills.
Advanced manufacturing grants like this one are designed to meet this and
other workforce needs as manufacturing continues to evolve.”
Through the President's High Growth Job Training Initiative,
the Labor Department has been conducting executive forums with leaders of
expanding industries to identify critical workforce gaps and issues. Solutions,
like those found in today's grant, are then created in cooperation with employers,
educational institutions and the public workforce system.
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