News Release
ETA News Release: [January 02, 2004]
Contact Name: Lorette Post
Phone Number: (202) 693-3984
Labor Department Awards $3 Million to Keane. Inc. and Partners For High-Tech Training
BOSTON, Mass. - The U.S. Department of Labor's Employment and Training Administration has awarded $3 million to Keane, Inc., and consortium partners Caterpillar, Inc. and Celestica, Inc., to train 730 incumbent high-tech workers and 70 unemployed workers in information technology (IT) and advanced engineering/manufacturing.
"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."
Boston-based Keane, Inc., will use the Labor Department grant to leverage private sector and public sector investments through a business partner consortium with Caterpillar and Celestica - U.S. Technology Advantage. Participants must have at least a bachelor's degree. Training will consist of instructor-led classroom training, training labs and simulations, computer-based learning portals, webinars, mentoring, and on-the-job-training. Project goals include jobs for the unemployed, wage increases for incumbent workers and industry-recognized certifications for both.
Training will be conducted at locations in Colorado, California, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Texas, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, North Carolina and Georgia. Employer partners have committed to match funding of $3.1 million in both training wages and direct training investments.
"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 approximately $49 million were awarded competitively to business-led partnerships nationwide to train workers for high-skill, high-tech occupations.
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