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Virginia Employment Grant Announced

June 11th, 2007 Posted by Amelia

“Community colleges are closely tied to the areas they serve, and they have proven themselves adept at responding to the regional workforce demands of numerous industries.” Those are the words of Assistant Secretary of Labor for Employment and Training, Emily Stover DeRocco. The Assistant Secretary was announcing a prestigious grant to a local community college for training in the fast growing energy field. That grant is a result of the President’s Community-Based Job Training Initiative that has awarded 72 community colleges with grants.

A Virginia employment grant was awarded to the Piedmont Virginia Community College in Charlottesville. Competition for the grants was not easy. More than 400 schools were vying for the funding to help train the future employees of the country. The Virginia grant totaled $1,249,527 and will be used for energy education programs. The other schools provide training for energy and other vital professions like advanced manufacturing, healthcare, and construction. The demand for these types of jobs is on the rise, and the more people that are trained, the better.

Secretary of Labor Elaine Chao has said, “Community colleges are vital partners in educating and preparing workers for good jobs in their local area…The $125 million these 72 community college partnerships will receive under the President’s Community-Based Job Training Initiative is going to help workers succeed in careers in health care, advanced manufacturing and other growing industries.”

The Virginia grant will be used to help increase the local worker skills, particularly in high-demand professions. Over 104 awards have been issued to that affect since 2005, when the program was initiated. Community colleges are a crucial part of the success as a whole. As a result of their training, workers will be able to enter the industries with skills and add to the success of the economy.

With the job market changing, and technology improving, it seems the best way to go is to get the training for a career that will be there in the future.