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Archived News Release--Caution:
information may be out of date.
For more information call: 202/219-6652, x132.
Secretary of Labor Robert B. Reich today announced that
six community-based organizations will receive $1.5 million in grants to help
women and minorities train for nontraditional occupations.
"These grants will help open doors that are still too
often closed to women. Women work to support themselves and their families, and
access to jobs that pay a living wage and provide decent benefits is the key to
their survival and success," Reich said. The six grantees will provide
technical assistance to employers and labor unions, helping them to recruit,
train and place women and minorities in the skilled trades.
The grants are funded through the Women in Apprenticeship
and Nontraditional Occupations (WANTO) Act and the Diversity in Apprenticeship
(DIA) program. Two agencies within the department have joint responsibility for
administering the grant: the Employment and Training Administration's Bureau of
Apprenticeship and Training and the Women's Bureau.
Women's Bureau Director Karen Nussbaum said, "The depart-
ment's twin objectives in this effort are to expand skilled employment and
create greater economic parity for working women and minorities."
"Skilled trade jobs are good jobs," said Anthony Swoope,
director of the Bureau of Apprenticeship and Training. "We are committed to
increasing the role of women and minorities in apprenticeship. As our economy
becomes more competitive, we must ensure opportunities across the board for all
workers to contribute their talents and skills, and for all employers to
benefit from their efforts."
The grants:
$254,638 to the Home Builders Institute to conduct a
nationwide program aimed at increasing the number of women in the residential
and light commercial construction industries. The program will include seminars
and on-site technical assistance to employers at regional and national Home
Builders Association meetings.
$224,786 to the International Masonry Institute to increase
the recruitment and retention of women in the trowel trades. The program will
target members of the International Council of Employers and the International
Union of Bricklayers and Allied Craftsmen in four pilot sites: Atlantic City,
N.J., Chicago, Seattle, and the New England region.
$233,728 to the Long Island Women's Equal Opportunity
Council, Inc. and its pre-apprenticeship recruitment employment program to
provide customized technical assistance to Long Island and New York City area
employers, labor organizations and management teams in the construction trades.
$249,590 to the Minneapolis Urban League to integrate
minority identification, recruitment, placement and retention into Minneapolis
employers' hiring practices. The program will focus on the projected growth
fields of metal fabrication, plastics molding, and residential and commercial
building construction.
$264,576 to the National Council of La Raza to provide
intensive, customized, on-site technical assistance to 15 employers and labor
organizations in Tucson, Ariz. and Albuquerque, N.M. The emphasis will be on
integrate women successfully into male- dominated occupations, with particular
emphasis on increasing the number of Hispanic women in apprenticeship and
nontraditional occupations.
$250,000 to the Preparation, Recruitment Employment Program
(PREP) to establish two apprenticeship demonstration sites in Cincinnati and
Cleveland, Ohio. PREP will develop training materials and work closely with
employer associations, unions, and joint apprenticeship training councils to
facilitate appropriate training and placement.
Archived News Release--Caution:
information may be out of date.
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