ETA New Releases, Employment & Training Administration (ETA)

ETA News Release: [July 13, 2006]
Contact Name: Mike Volpe David James
Phone Number: (202) 693-3984 (202) 693-4676

Project Empowerment Plus Receives Recognition of Excellence Honor

Third Annual Awards Presented at Workforce Innovations 2006 in Anaheim, Calif.

WASHINGTON - Project Empowerment Plus (PE+) received the top Recognition of Excellence (ROE) honor in the "Recognizing Special Populations in the Workforce" category at the Workforce Innovations 2006 Conference in Anaheim, Calif. Assistant Secretary of Labor for Employment and Training Emily Stover DeRocco presented the third annual ROE honors, which recognize workforce investment system programs from around the country that have achieved outstanding success.

"Recognition of Excellence honorees are proof of the workforce system's capacity to develop new and innovative approaches for preparing workers to compete in the global economy," said DeRocco. "Every year, ROE honorees offer examples of education and job training programs that meet the needs of local and regional economies and can be replicated throughout the country."

The Employment and Training Administration presents ROE honors in five categories. The "Recognizing Special Populations in the Workforce" category addresses the critical need to find ways to integrate every available worker into the labor force. Honorees in this category provide effective services to special populations, including individuals with disabilities, those with limited English proficiency, homeless individuals and migrant farm workers.

PE+ is a U.S. Department of Justice-funded, workforce development re-entry program under the oversight of the District of Columbia's Workforce Investment Council. Coordinated through the D.C. Department of Employment Services, the program serves high risk and violent youth and juvenile offenders, and adult felons who have been released from prison within the past 12 months.

When PE+ began in 2004, its enrollment exceeded expectations by 22 percent, enrolling 250 participants. Of those enrolled,138 entered employment with average hourly wages 62 percent higher than the district's minimum wage. Additionally, more than 57 percent of the participants who started with subsidized employment have now moved into unsubsidized jobs.

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