Dislocated Worker Manufacturing Technology Demonstration Program (SGA/DAA 99-001)
THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Vice President
________________________________________________________________________
For Immediate Release June 29, 1999
VICE PRESIDENT GORE ANNOUNCES $9.5 MILLION
TO HELP TEN STATES TRAIN WORKERS IN HIGH TECH SKILLS
Washington, DC -- Vice President Gore announced today that ten
states across the country will receive $9.5 million to help workers who
have been laid off get training in advanced manufacturing skills.
Specifically, the Vice President announced the following Department
of Labor grants: FL - $895,872; IL - $1,000,000; MA - $1,000,000; MD -
$989,900; MI - $1,000,000; MO - $982,112; NY - $938,302; OH - $989,370;
PA - $776,947; WI - $1,000,000.
"In this era of global competition and rapid technological changes,
technology is one of the most important factors in sustaining economic
growth," Vice President Gore said. "These grants will focus on training
workers for industries experiencing a shortage of skilled workers."
"The goal is to prepare these workers who may have obsolete skills
with the high-tech skills that will guarantee their future," US
Secretary of Labor Alexis Herman said. "Local manufacturers will
identify the skills that are needed for the jobs they know will be
there."
Services available include assessment of worker skills and
abilities, career counseling, customized classroom and on-the-job
training, academic tutoring, work internships and job placement
assistance. In addition, support services such as child care and
transportation assistance may be available to enable project
participants to participate in training.
These funds are authorized under Title III of the Job Training
Partnership Act. Participants must be dislocated or at risk of losing
their jobs.
# # #
| GRANTEE: | Private Industry Council of Chatauqua, Inc. |
| LOCATION: | Allegany, Cattaraugus, Chautauqua Counties, New York and Erie City and County, Warren, Crawford and Venango Counties, Pennsylvania |
| FUNDING AMOUNT: | $938,302 |
| TARGET GROUP: | 273 dislocated and/or incumbent workers |
| SYNOPSIS: | This project will provide training in three manufacturing cluster occupations: Machining, Sheet Metal Fabrication and Woodworking. An employer advisory group has been formed for each training cluster. The project is intended to demonstrate a successful rural training strategy through a regional approach to meeting employer and worker needs for skills to maintain the area's industrial employers. The training model provides for a factory setting developed in consultation with the National Institute of Flexible Manufacturing. |
| CONTACT: | Dr. Adrien Adelman
Industry and Business Services Division Private Industry Council of Chautauqua, Inc. 200 Harrison Street Jamestown, N. Y. 14701 (716) 664-9053 |
| GRANTEE: | Private Industry Council of Milwaukee County, Inc. |
| LOCATION: | Milwaukee, Wisconsin |
| FUNDING AMOUNT: | $1,000,000 |
| TARGET GROUP: | 105 dislocated workers and 50 incumbent workers |
| SYNOPSIS: | The HIRE Consortium, the deliverer of dislocated worker services, is partnering the Wisconsin Regional Training Partnership to establish the Tech Track Project. The project will focus on training for three occupational areas in manufacturing technology in demand by Milwaukee area employers: CNC Machining, Electronics Assembly and Testing, and Maintenance Mechanics. TECH SPAN, a newly developed flexible manufacturing curriculum, will be used to address the need for just-in-time, open entry, computer-based, self-paced options for core knowledge preparatory to technical training for advanced manufacturing applications. In addition, a Spanish language track offering CNC Machining training combining Spanish or bilingual instruction in technical skills concurrent with the acquisition of English skills. The project aims to create new linkages with manufacturing employers mediated by the extensive labor/management cooperation arrangements developed by the Partnership. |
| CONTACT: | Marjorie A. Smith
HIRE Consortium Private Industry Council of Milwaukee 101 W. Pleasant Street Suite 200 Milwaukee, WI 53212 (414) 385-6952 |
| GRANTEE: | Lancaster County Career & Technology Center |
| LOCATION: | Berks, Chester, Lancaster, Lebanon, Montgomery, and York Counties |
| FUNDING AMOUNT: | $775,947 |
| TARGET GROUP: | 320 dislocated workers and 80 incumbent workers |
| SYNOPSIS: | The project targets high performance manufacturers in the South Central Pennsylvania region. It is built around the experience of Pepperidge Farm's two-year development of a comprehensive, high performance training program to prepare industrial equipment technicians and operators. The curricula developed is correlated with the National Skill Standards established by the National Association of Manufacturere. Performance based instruction will be provided using equipment and training laboratories at the plant. |
| CONTACT: | Dr. Michael K. Curley
Lancaster County Career and Technology Center 1730 Hans Herr Drive Willow Street, PA 17584 (717) 464-7053 |
| GRANTEE: | Hampden County Employment and Training Consortium |
| LOCATION: | Hampden County, Massachusetts |
| FUNDING AMOUNT: | $1,000,000 |
| TARGET GROUP: | 320 dislocated workers and 80 incumbent workers |
| SYNOPSIS: | The Manufacturing Training Alliance Project incorporates the key elements of the Workforce Investment Act such as customer choice, individual training accounts and the new Massachusetts Workforce Training Fund initiative for incumbent workers, to provide comprehensive manufacturing technologies training for dislocated workers and workers who require skills upgrading to maintain existing jobs and/or transition to a higher level, technology oriented employment occupational training. An active and committed employer Advisory Council has already been established to identify skill gaps of job applicants and incumbent workers. The Council will focus on businesses in the new Federally designated Enterprise Community. |
| CONTACT: | Mr. James W. Asselin
Executive Director City of Springfield Hampden County Employment and Training Consortium 1176 Main Street Springfield, MA 01103 (413) 781-6900, ext 227 |
| GRANTEE: | The Cornerstone Partnership |
| LOCATION: | Metropolitan St. Louis, Missouri |
| FUNDING AMOUNT: | $982,112 |
| TARGET GROUP: | 240 dislocated workers |
| SYNOPSIS: | The Cornerstone Partnership includes the Boeing Company, St. Louis County Government, St. Louis Community College, Rankin Technical College, International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, and other organizations. The project is primarily focused on providing services in the St. Louis Empowerment Zone at the Partnership's state- of-the-art manufacturing equipment facility. A multi-component curriculum will be provided to prepare participants for manufacturing occupations in the aviation and transportation industries and the smaller manufacturing firms supporting these industries. The service plan includes personal mentoring, in-house student services, and training modules designed by an alliance of experts in the field of high tech manufacturing. |
| CONTACT: | Ms. M. Catherine Bunton
The Cornerstone Partnership 6347 Plymouth St. Louis, MO 63133-1909 (314) 889-3699 |
| GRANTEE: | Baltimore County Office of Employment and Training |
| LOCATION: | Baltimore County and Metropolitan Area, Maryland |
| FUNDING AMOUNT: | $989,900 |
| TARGET GROUP: | 120 dislocated workers |
| SYNOPSIS: | The Community College of Baltimore County and the Office of Employment and Training will partner with other county organizations such as the Department of Economic Development, the Regional Manufacturing Institute, and the Greater Baltimore Advanced Technology Center and others to develop curriculum for a short-term, intensive training program for dislocated workers focused on the high tech machining needs identified skill shortages by local employers. |
| CONTACT: | Ms. Teresa M. Boblooch
Office of Employment and Training 1 Investment Place Suite 409 Towson, MD 21204 (410) 887-4355 |
| GRANTEE: | City of Cincinnati Employment and Training Division |
| LOCATION: | City of Cincinnati and Hamilton County, Ohio |
| FUNDING AMOUNT: | $989,370 |
| TARGET GROUP: | 80 dislocated and/or incumbent workers |
| SYNOPSIS: | This project represents the collaboration of the University of Cincinnati Center for Advance Manufacturing, the Employment and Training Division, and the Industry Advisory Committee. The formal training program will be focused on a team-based experience to solving problems contributed by participating industries. The formal classroom and laboratory-based training will be supplemented by industry on-site visits to provide reality training. Focused around computer-integrated manufacturing, participants will also have a six week industry internship in which to refine their skills. The University Center is a state-of-the- art $5 million manufacturing laboratory. |
| CONTACT: | Mr. Jerry B. Brown
Employment and Training Division 19 West Elder Street Cincinnati, OH 45210 (513) 731-9800 |
| GRANTEE: | Policy Research Action Group Loyola University Chicago |
| LOCATION: | City of Chicago; Lake, McHenry, DuPage, and Cook Counties, Illinois |
| FUNDING AMOUNT: | $1,000,000 |
| TARGET GROUP: | 73 dislocated and 245 incumbent workers |
| SYNOPSIS: | The Regional Manufacturing Training System (RTMS) is a unique collaborative of The Management Association of Illinois, The City of Chicago Mayor's Office of Workforce Development, Jane Addams Resource Center, Chicago Manufacturing Institute, Greater West Town Project, and the Policy Research Action Group. The system is based on a plan to provide basic education as well as occupational skills training in a regional, sector-based, demand-driven approach to workforce development. The RTMS focusses on small manufacturers who face difficulties in recruiting and hiring a "qualified" workforce. Supportive services for dislocated workers will be available through grants with private foundations and Prairie State 2000 State grants (State revenue funds for training incumbent workers) will provide additional leveraged resources to the project. |
| CONTACT: | Mr. Brian Banks
Policy Research Action Group Loyola University Chicago 820 N. Michigan Chicago, IL 60611 (312) 915-7526 |
| GRANTEE: | Downriver Community Conference |
| LOCATION: | Southern Wayne County, Michigan |
| FUNDING AMOUNT: | $1,000,000 |
| TARGET GROUP: | 152 dislocated workers |
| SYNOPSIS: | The Downriver Community Conference (DCC) in collaboration with the Michigan Jobs Commission, manufacturing industry employers and the Michigan Virtual University, will target dislocated workers from five manufacturing companies that are closing or laying off workers. Two occupational areas--Computer Numerically Controlled Machining (CNC) and Computer Aided Design (CAD). The training will be delivered in a comprehensive approach which includes classroom training, distance learning on the Internet through Michigan Virtual University, hands-on training and an employer internship. |
| CONTACT: | Mr. James S. Perry
Downriver Community Conference 15100 Northline Road Southgate, MI 48195 (734) 281-0700 |
| GRANTEE: | Polk County Workforce Development |
| LOCATION: | Polk County, Florida |
| FUNDING AMOUNT: | $895,872 |
| TARGET GROUP: | 250 dislocated workers and 350 incumbent workers |
| SYNOPSIS: | The Central Florida Dislocated Worker Manufacturing Technology Demonstration Project was developed in collaboration with the participating companies, the Lakeland Economic Development Council, the Central Florida Development Council, the City of Lakeland, and Polk Workforce Development. The project targets three groups of dislocated workers: former citrus and phosphate mining workers; workers with manufacturing and warehouse experience, and workers from the service and transportation industries. Similarly, the incumbent workers to whom project services will be directed are primarily manufacturing workers from the food, metal extrusion, chemical production and electric generation industries. The project will develop or upgrade the manufacturing technology skills identified by the National Skill Standards Board (NSSB) and test their transferability among a number of different manufacturing employment settings. Certification will be provided to trainees achieving specific NSSB skills and their certification will be listed with the State Employment Service. The One-Stop Career Center system will be responsible for recruitment and eligibility of dislocated workers as well as job placement. The training provided by Polk Community College and Traviss Technical Center will be conducted concurrently to incumbent and dislocated workers to reduce program costs and will provide a comparison of skill acquisition. A combination of training methods will be used--classroom and on-the-job (experiential). |
CONTACT: | Mr. Susan Clayton
Polk County Workforce Development 205 E. Main Street, Suite 107 Bartow, FL 33830 (941) 519-0100, ext. 21 |