LOS ANGELES, Calif. /California Newswire/ — Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa yesterday announced the award of $7 million in stimulus funding for job training programs in high growth industry sectors. The competitive grants are being awarded after the Community Development Department (CDD) and the Workforce Investment Board (WIB) issued Requests for Proposals, in November 2009, to select training service providers for vocational and high wage sector training.

“We are responding to the challenges of this economy by training workers in the high growth sector jobs of tomorrow,” said Mayor Villaraigosa. “Awarding these stimulus funds is fundamental to providing Angelenos with the skills they need to get on the path to recovery.”

As part of the City’s plan to put Angelenos back to work, the awarded training program providers will train 2,000 workers in high growth and high wage industry sectors including: construction, transportation, utilities, financial services, healthcare, green jobs and green technology.

Joined by Tyree Wieder, Interim Chancellor of the Los Angeles Community College District, Charlie Woo, Chair of the Workforce Investment Board and several recent WIB funded industry sector training program graduates; the Mayor awarded the following program providers in the following industry sectors:

• Managed Career Solutions, Inc. (Healthcare)
• UAW-LETC (Healthcare)
• Worker Education and Resource Center (Health)
• PACE (Green retrofit)
• South Bay Center for Counseling (Energy pathway)
• UAW-LETC (Advanced Utilities/Green Lighting/ Solar)
• Community Career Development (Clean Manufacturing)
• UAW-LETC (Urban/Clean Manufacturing)
• EPDB (Logistics/Transportation)
• Community Career Development (Security)
• Jewish Vocational Services (Bank works)
• West LA College (Hospitality)

Since President Barack Obama signed the American Recovery & Reinvestment Act one year ago, Los Angeles has been awarded nearly $600 million of stimulus funds to cover a wide range of projects including infrastructure improvements, workforce training and development for youth summer employment and dislocated workers, as well as rehabilitation of public housing and delivery of electric power.

Unemployed workers and job-seekers can get more information at:
www.wib.lacity.org/ .