A r c h i v e d  I n f o r m a t i o n

EMBARGOED FOR RELEASE                        Contact: Ivette Rodriguez 10:30 a.m., October 18, 1994                            (202) 401-0262

$18 MILLION IN EDUCATION GRANTS TO EQUIP WORKERS WITH JOB LITERACY SKILLS

"These grants promote partnerships that enable workers to acquire the job literacy skills that result in new employment, job retention, career advancement and increased productivity," said U.S. Secretary of Education Richard W. Riley. "Continuous learning by the workforce of today and tomorrow is the key to achieving the goal of having every adult possess the knowledge and literacy skills necessary to compete in a global economy."

The National Workplace Literacy Program, authorized by the Adult Education Act, provides funding to partnerships involving at least one educational institution and one business or labor organization. Partners work together to provide literacy, English-as-a-second-language, computation, problem solving and other skills needed by workers to perform job tasks effectively. For the past six years, awards have been made to a variety of partnerships involving state education agencies, local schools, universities, community colleges, businesses, community-based organizations, industries, labor unions and private industry councils.

The grants announced today are the first to be awarded for a three-year, rather than an 18-month, period. The grant duration has been lengthened to allow additional time to develop and demonstrate work-based curriculum and teaching methods, such as simulations and team-learning approaches. A national evaluation of these grants will be available in 1998.

The following are two examples of funded projects:

Chicago's largest employer, First Chicago Corporation, will use $211,895 toward employee training in support of major technological and organizational changes in cash management, administrative functions and bank card processes that require employees to work in teams and handle more responsibility. Some of the 4,000 employees benefitting from this training include clerks in remittance, payroll, research and adjustment, accounts payable and mail distribution jobs. Grant funds also will be used to instruct tellers and customer personnel in the basic reading and math skills needed to handle increasingly complex financial services. These basic skills training programs are designed to support quality initiatives to enhance employee performance, service accuracy, timeliness, reliability and customer satisfaction.

The Massachusetts Workplace Literacy Consortium will use $985,488 in grant funds to provide almost 10,000 hours of work- related basic skills training to 1,200 workers each year during the three-year project. The Consortium, led by the Massachusetts Department of Education, encompasses nine local partnerships composed of 42 partners across the state. These partners include 27 large and small businesses in the fields of manufacturing, health and education, and four labor organizations. The grantees will provide basic skills training to assembly and production line workers, hospital and nursing home aides, housekeepers and dietary workers and university maintenance and food service personnel.