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Archived News Release--Caution:
information may be out of date.
For more information call: 202-219- 8211.
The U.S. Department of Labor is awarding California $18
million -- the largest single dislocated worker grant ever -- to help nearly
5,000 southern California aerospace workers who have lost their jobs, the
Clinton Administration announced today.
The California grant marks the first time dislocated
workers anywhere in the United States can have access to training and
reemployment services through a voucher system. Instead of being eligible for
service in only one location, workers can use vouchers as training tickets at
any of 14 service delivery areas in and around Los Angeles. These offices are
part of a nationwide network which operates under the Job Training Partnership
Act (JTPA).
President Bill Clinton said, "The economy is strong. Job
growth, employment and productivity are all on the upswing. Yet major forces --
such as defense downsizing and corporate rightsizing -- are putting thousands
of experienced Americans out of work.
"This grant for California's aerospace workers will give
them the services they need to build on their considerable experience as they
prepare for new lines of work. It also for the first time introduces the
element of customer choice in the retraining program -- a hallmark of our
proposed G.I. Bill for America's Workers."
Secretary of Labor Robert B. Reich said, "The voucher
system makes reemployment services customer friendly and accessible. It will
ensure that every worker has access to job placement services, career
counseling and, if necessary, new skills needed to find a good next job."
The aerospace layoffs -- the result of corporate
restructuring and defense downsizing -- are occurring at the following
companies:
- Lockheed, Hughes, Boeing, Rockwell, AlliedSignal, TRW,
- Aerospace Corporation, McDonnell Douglas, MCS, Northrup
- Grumman, Navy Weapon - Seal Beach, Parker Hannifin,
- Computer Sciences, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Edwards
- Test Flight Center, General Electric and Loral -
- Newport Beach.
Affected workers come from the following counties: Los
Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, Santa Barbara and Ventura.
Available services include assessment, counseling, job
search assistance, remedial education, vocational classroom training,
occupational skills training, on-the-job training, pre- layoff support and
services such as child care, transportation and emergency medical care.
Occupations for which retraining is available include
health-related fields, telecommunications, computers, graphic design, clerical
positions, distribution and trade jobs.
The dislocated worker program is a comprehensive approach
to assist workers who have been, or are about to be, laid off for reasons such
as technological change, foreign competition or government actions such as
defense downsizing. In general, workers are eligible for the program if they
are unlikely to return to their previous industry or occupation.
Prior to today's announcement, the largest single grant for
dislocated workers was $15 million. It was given to South Carolina in March
1994 to provide reemployment services to workers from the Charleston Naval Ship
Yard. In 1993, a grant of $10 million was given for a project operated by
Hughes Aircraft to serve dislocated defense workers in southern California.
That funding was supplemented in 1994 with an additional $6 million.
Dislocated worker funds are authorized under JTPA's
Economic Dislocation and Worker Adjustment Assistance Act, enacted in 1988.
Archived News Release--Caution:
information may be out of date.
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