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Archived News Release--Caution:
information may be out of date.
For more information call: (202) 219-8211
Youth in America's rural heartlands and inner cities will receive $17
million in grants announced today by the U.S. Departments of Education and
Labor. The funds will be used to acquire the academic and job skills and labor
market information students will need to succeed in school and at work.
The grants, awarded under the 1994 School-to-Work Opportunities Act,
will go out to 32 business, education and labor partnerships across the nation.
Competitively awarded, these Urban and Rural Opportunities Grants enable urban
and rural areas with high rates of poverty to develop and implement
School-to-Work initiatives that help students make the transition from the
classroom to careers and further education or training.
The awards represent the second round of Urban and Rural Opportunities
Grants under the School-to-Work initiative. The initial awards, totaling $10
million, went to 21 urban and rural partnerships in November 1994.
"Every year in America, of the millions of teens who start high school,
many will graduate without the academic preparation to succeed in higher
education, or the skills to get a good-paying job," said U.S. Secretary of
Education Richard W. Riley. "These grants address the lack of resources,
opportunities and role models that may place young people in high poverty areas
at additional risk."
Secretary of Labor Robert B. Reich said, " These dollars will build a
bridge between the classroom and the world of work so that all our youth will
be better prepared for the demands and challenges facing them in the 21st
century."
This new round of Urban and Rural Opportunities Grants have been awarded
to partnerships in the following communities:
Arizona: Tuba City ($647,680)
California: Chula Vista ($566,846)
Firebaugh ($650,000)
Inglewood ($601,908)
Oakland ($650,000)
Quincy ($558,153)
San Pablo ($649,999)
Santa Ana ($645,251)
West Covina ($598,150)
Colorado: Commerce City ($483,703)
Denver ($649,312)
Florida: Fort Lauderdale ($650,000)
Illinois: Chicago ($377,778)
Kentucky: Lexington ($465,966)
Massachusetts: Brockton ($495,720)
Michigan: Flint ($606,857)
Grand Rapids ($638,406)
Saginaw ($509,000)
Missouri: Kansas City ($648,125)
Springfield ($405,587)
New Mexico: Mora ($343,805)
New York: New York ($483,571)
Oklahoma: Lawton ($183,500)
Oklahoma City ($101,776)
Pennsylvania: Philadelphia ($634,090)
Tennessee: Huntsville ($475,800)
Texas: Arlington ($ 575,543)
Fort Worth($639,494)
Utah: Ephraim ($552,932)
Washington: Seattle ($467,545)
Tacoma ($599,899)
West Virginia: Princeton ($429,870)
School-to-Work links education reform with workforce and economic
development by engaging communities in designing and implementing a
comprehensive system of education and workforce preparation that reflects local
needs.
The Urban Rural Opportunities Grants target resources to high poverty
areas because of the special needs of youth, and the lack of local job
opportunities in those areas. Urban Rural Opportunities Grants compliment the
venture capital provided to states to develop and implement comprehensive
school-to-work systems.
Since the inception of the School-to-Work Opportunities Act, every state
has received a development grant of between $200,000 and $750,000 to create a
comprehensive, statewide plan to encourage partnerships among students,
employers, educators, labor, elected officials and community organizations. An
additional 27 states have received implementation grants through a competitive
process after presenting comprehensive school-to-work plans that were ready to
be put in place.
Archived News Release--Caution:
information may be out of date.
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