The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) announced Tuesday the award of $54 million in grants to 14 public private partnerships nationwide to support job training programs and associated support services for families under the “Strengthening Working Families Initiative.” Each grant will provide between $3 and $4 million to representatives from the public workforce system, including local community colleges, as well as partners including economic development agencies, employers and community- or faith-based organizations.
The grants will promote support services that overcome barriers associated with skills training for adult students, such as providing child care services and increasing flexibility for program delivery times or locations. U.S. Secretary of Labor Thomas Perez said that, “the grants we’re awarding today will help more working parents find affordable, high-quality child care while training for the jobs of today and tomorrow.”
The new program is made possible through proceeds from the H-1 B temporary visa program, which allows employers to bring foreign workers into the U.S., and, per DOL’s release, “intended to raise the technical skill levels of American workers and, over time, help businesses reduce their reliance on temporary visa programs.”
Just a thought.......we are an "adult-serving" charter school in California with a large CTE population, one of only a small handful. One of our largest student groups are ex-offenders. Many more will be released from prison here in California next year if our Governor's ballot measure passes. Most of these will be untrained and therefore poorly prepared to reenter society - they need a "soft landing" if they are to succeed and become taxpayers. Very few of us heard about these grants when they were initially announced. What about the ex-offender problem? Apparently no easy answer....
Ward Allen, CTE Coordinator
HIGHLANDS COMMUNITY CHARTER SCHOOL
Sacramento, CA 95838
(916) 400-4357
Posted by: WARD ALLEN | 06/23/2016 at 09:34 AM