ETA New Releases, Employment & Training Administration (ETA)

ETA News Release: [September 29, 2004]
Contact Name: Ed Frank or Juan Solano
Phone Number: 312-353-6976 or 202-693-4685

U.S. Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao Announces $400,000 Job Training Grant for Teens Transitioning Out of Foster Care

CHICAGO - U.S. Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao today announced a grant of $400,000 to the Illinois Department of Commerce and Community Affairs to develop programs to help youth aging out of foster care become employed and self-sufficient.

"Young people leaving foster care need help to become productive and self-sufficient members of society," said U.S. Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao. "This $400,000 grant will help them take the next steps towards a positive future through skills development and job training."

The grant, which will serve 16-21 year-old current and former foster youth, will enable the Illinois Department of Commerce and Community Affairs to expand an existing Youth Skills Development and Training Program. This program, a partnership of the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, the Department of Children and Family Services, and the Alternative Schools Network, aims to intensify pre- and post-exit services to transition foster youth to college, employment or training.

The project developed through the grant will be used as a model to assist youth aging out of foster programs around the nation.

For more information on the Department of Labor's Employment and Training programs, please visit www.doleta.gov.

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