labor lawAdivision of labor law center

Three new training programs will help prepare Alaska workers for the future. The STEP grants will provide opportunities for a number of Alaska workers, while the Work Ready/College Ready program helps high school students and young workers prepare for their careers. A federal grant will help prepare Alaskan workers for higher-paying pipeline jobs.

The Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development recently accepted grant applications for more than $2 million in worker training and employment projects. The prestigious State Training and Employment Program, or STEP, ended on September 7, 2007.

The Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development urges both businesses and nonprofit organizations to apply for the grants, as well as educators, employers and agencies. The grant awards are limited to $300,000 per organization, although exceptions are made in special cases.

STEP grants are used to train Alaska workers for jobs in key industries that are in high demand in the state and across the nation, including healthcare, construction, information technology, education, transportation, hospitality.  Grants are also accepted to train workers for two industries that are in high demand in Alaska, natural resource development, and the seafood harvesting and processing industry. 

“STEP has been a real success story for Alaska by helping thousands of Alaskans upgrade their job skills and getting them into higher paying jobs,” said Labor Commissioner Click Bishop. “We’re looking to fund quality training programs for quality jobs.”

The STEP grants are just the latest training awards to benefit Alaska workers. In August, Alaska Governor Sarah Palin unveiled a new program that allows students and adults to assess their occupational training, and improve the basic skills that employers look for.

The Work Ready/College Ready Program gives Alaskans an opportunity to assess and improve their skills in applied math, reading for information, and locating graphic information.  The state has identified these skills as critical to success in moving from high school to the workplace, occupational training or college.

“This is the type of partnership I envisioned when I took office and pledged that Alaskans would be prepared for jobs,” Governor Palin said. “It shows what can be accomplished when school, work, business and industry speak the same language and share the same goals.”

After the assessment, participants can enroll in online, self-paced courses to improve skills. The information is delivered in a work-related, applied context to prevent boredom. Workers can access the programs from public schools, home or from any state job center.

Participants will receive a Career Readiness Certificate that documents their basic skills. More than 40 states issue such certificates which are widely recognized in business and industry.

“The skills needed to enter many vocations are similar to the skills needed to get into college. By 2010, three-quarters of jobs will require some type of training after high school,” said Roger Sampson, the most recent Education Commissioner.

In July, Governor Sarah Palin saluted the U.S. Department of Labor for awarding a federal grant of $7.5 million to the Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development. The funds will be spent over 5 years to train workers in pipeline construction and maintenance at low temperatures.

“This award will help state Labor Commissioner Click Bishop jump-start the workforce training plan the AGIA mandates to ensure Alaskans are given the first change to work on construction of a gas line,” Said Governor Palin.

In the past, many Alaskans have complained as high-paying oil pipeline jobs went to welders, fitters and supervisors imported from the lower 48 states.

“Alaska is critical to the nation’s policy on energy development, and this investment by the federal government through congressional authorization reflects a strong commitment to developing the state’s natural resources,” Governor Palin added.

The $7.5 million federal grant will train more than 2,500 Alaska workers, with an emphasis on preparing the workforce to create a new gas pipeline. The grant is seed money that will help the Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development get this program off the ground, when combined with $7.6 million that has already been appropriated by the Alaska Legislature from the state general fund.   

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