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Archived News Release--Caution:
information may be out of date.
For more information call: (202) 219-6871
Four community colleges are receiving awards and four
others are being recognized for their exemplary and innovative programs in
workforce education, training and transition services, Acting Secretary of
Labor Cynthia A. Metzler announced today.
"There is a tremendous amount of innovation in providing
reemployment services for America's workers and employers," said Metzler.
"These awards highlight the outstanding efforts of community colleges in
building the workforce for the 21st century."
Winners of the 1997 Workforce Development Awards will be
honored April 13 at the 77th Annual Convention of the American Association of
Community Colleges (AACC) in Anaheim, California. The awards will be presented
jointly by John Robinson, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Employment and
Training, and Dr. Walter Bumphus, President of Brookhaven College in Texas and
Chairman of the AACC Board of Directors. The four winners will each receive a
plaque and a $10,000 award to be used to support their programs. For each
category, a finalist also is being recognized.
The One-Stop Career Center Services category
focuses on programs that provide high-quality information and guidance services
for individuals seeking jobs, career paths or further education and training.
Services provided must adhere to the principles of universality, customer
choice, program integration and accountability. In addition, the winning entry
in this category must provide access to America's Job Bank.
Winner: Southeastern Community College, Whiteville, North
Carolina
Finalist: Brevard Community College, Cocoa, Florida
Applicants for the Dislocated Worker Services
category must provide specialized services for workers who have lost their
jobs, have received notice of permanent lay-off, or who are chronically
unemployed and have limited opportunities for re-employment in the same or
similar occupation.
Winning programs must address the need for upgrading basic
skills and offer opportunities for dislocated workers to exercise personal
choice in the type of training or education they receive.
Winner: Stark State College of Technology, Canton,
Ohio
Finalist: Lane Community College, Eugene, Oregon
Community colleges that apply for the Incumbent Worker
Training and Education category must provide business outreach services and
promote increased investment by employers in their workers' training and
education. Winning programs must have secured substantial financial commitment
from an employer or group of employers.
Winner: City College of San Francisco, San Francisco,
California
Finalist: Wenatchee Valley College, Wenatchee, Washington
The Career Pathways category includes programs
targeted to the education and employment needs of at-risk and special needs
youth, aged 14 to 25. At-risk and special needs youth include students who
dropped out of high school, have low levels of basic and occupational skills
and have little work experience or knowledge of the demands of the workplace.
They may be heads of welfare families or members of such families, offenders or
ex-offenders, or individuals that have significant disabilities or other
special needs. The colleges also must use work-based learning, career
assessment or other elements identified in the 1994 School-to-Work
Opportunities Act.
Winner: University of Hawaii Community Colleges Employment
Training Center
Finalist: Wilkes Community College, Wilkesboro, North
Carolina
A competition for these awards was announced by the
Department of Labor and the AACC in December. All 1,200 community colleges in
the United States were eligible to submit applications. The competition sought
to identify model programs and exemplary practices that can be adopted by
community colleges and other providers in the arena of workforce development
and transition services. Programs were judged on the quality of their service
design, effectiveness, linkages with other organizations, and support from
college leadership, as well as on their uniqueness and innovation. Descriptions
of winning programs are attached.
The 1997 Workforce Development Awards
One-Stop Career Center Services/America's Job Bank
Implementation
WINNER: Southeastern Community College, Whiteville,
North Carolina
Stephen Scott, President
PROGRAM TITLE: JobLink Career Center
PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS: The JobLink Career Center is a
dynamic system designed to accommodate employment and training services for all
customers. This includes job-seekers, job-changers and employers. In 1995-96,
JobLink served over 1,000 participants. Through cooperative arrangements with
local, regional, and state agencies, the Center has consolidated separate
agency efforts into an integrated system that serves as an information resource
for customers.
Dislocated Worker Services
WINNER: Stark State College of Technology, Canton,
Ohio
John McGrath, President
PROGRAM TITLE: Computer Numerical Control Machinist
Technician Program
PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS: The Computer Numerical Control
(CNC) Machinist Technician Program provides specialized technical skills and
broad-based employability skills to dislocated workers and others meeting JTPA
financial criteria. The 18-week, 640-hour program also offers assessment,
counseling, and job placement. Strongly supported by the local Job Training
Partnership, the program has an 85% employment rate among the graduates and
fills a vital need of local manufacturers.
Incumbent Worker Training and Education
WINNER: City College of San Francisco, San
Francisco, California
PROGRAM TITLE: GARMENT 2000
PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS: GARMENT 2000 is a strategic
partnership between educators, industry, labor and the public sector. The
program was launched in 1994 to strengthen the ability of small and
medium-sized apparel companies to compete in the global economy. Services
include workforce development aimed at improving the skills and competencies of
workers at all levels of production. Over 500 apparel workers enrolled in
GARMENT 2000 in 1995, and more than 10,000 participated in 1996. GARMENT 2000
demonstrates how the community college can become a leader in local economic
development.
Career Pathways for At-Risk and Special Needs Youth
WINNER: University of Hawaii Community Colleges
Employment Training Center
Joyce Tsunoda, President
PROGRAM TITLE: Career Opportunities Program
(COP)
PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS: The Employment Training Center,
through its Career Opportunities Program (COP), served about 500 at-risk high
school students during 1995-96. Most students had high rates of absenteeism,
multiple course failures and personal and emotional problems. Classes are held
on community college campuses, and students acquire marketable skills while
earning high school credits towards graduation. The non-credit,
competency-based structure provides a bridge for traditional credit programs at
the secondary and post-secondary levels.
Archived News Release--Caution:
information may be out of date.
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