News Release
ETA News Release: [Dec. 31, 2003]
Contact Name: Lorette Post
Phone Number: 202-693-3984
Secretary of Labor Awards Nearly $3 Million to Workforce Partnership of Greater Rhode Island
EAST PROVIDENCE, RI - The U.S. Labor Department has awarded $2.9 million to the Workforce Partnership of Greater Rhode Island, Inc., to train workers in the fields of biotechnology and biomanufacturing.
"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."
The grant will be used to train a total of 650 workers, including 300 incumbent workers, 200 skilled workers transferring from other industries, and 150 unemployed or underemployed workers. An industry advisory council comprised of all the primary partners will certify training and education providers and assure that training is targeted to address skills shortages.
Rhode Island state institutions are providing $663,000 in matching funds and partner employers are committing to an additional match of $1.9 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.
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