U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR ANNOUNCES AMERICA’S PROMISE GRANTS
CareerSource Brevard is a winner.
BREVARD COUNTY, FL— CareerSource Brevard (CSB), the area authority on workforce development, has been awarded a portion of the America’s Promise grant, a four year U.S. Department of Labor (USDOL) grant that was divided between 23 regional workforce partnerships to support tuition-free education and training for high-demand industries.
The U.S. Department of Labor grants are valued at $111 million, with over $4 million headed to Florida. Florida State College — Jacksonville will get $1.804 million; CareerSource Brevard will get $2.38 million.
Marci Murphy, CareerSource Brevard President remarked, “This is great news for Brevard. This grant enables us to serve Brevard’s career seekers with a focus on skills and credentials which will set them up for success.”
The new four-year grants will build on President Obama’s 2015 proposal to provide up to two years of free community college for qualifying students, and will support a range of sector-driven strategies, including work-based learning, classroom instruction, and competency-based education. The grants are expected to provide more than 21,000 US workers with the skills and credentials they need to enter into, or advance within, target occupations. Grantees are expected to leverage more than $57 million in other federal and non-federal dollars to support the implementation of these programs.
In support of the grant proposal, CSB and CareerSource Central Florida received letters of support from 11 local employer partners, including: Modus Operandi, Inc., Saalex Information Technology, Inc., IM Solutions, Inc., ISS Global, Craig Technologies, Eagle 6, Radius Point, Artemis IT, Groundswell IT Incubator, Orion Technical Services and Space Coast Tech Council.
“SaalexIT has always been committed to ensuring Central Florida’s technical skills training remains top notch,” said Saalex President and CEO Travis Mack. “We are proud to have partnered with CareerSource Brevard on the America’s Promise Grant and we look forward to preparing our next-generation of IT professionals through on-the-job training, job placement and mentorship.”
Tandy Baerst, HR Manager of Modus Operandi, Inc. said, “Several of our engineers recently needed highly specialized training that cost thousands of dollars. Through the use of this highly anticipated grant, we can increase and improve the skills of our valued employees and save money on future training expenses.”
Bill Davis, Chief Engineer of IM Solutions explained, “In today’s competitive landscape, sales opportunities aren’t won with charismatic smiles and firm handshakes alone; it is about being a trusted advisor and demonstrating a comprehensive understanding of those buyers’ business challenges. Where, in the past, handshakes instilled confidence, conveying reliable and in-depth product knowledge is what holds up today. Therefore it is imperative that training/education is at the forefront of any business core values.”
Grant program planning is currently underway at CSB and work is scheduled to begin early March 2017.
“We truly believe in CareerSource’s mission and that their service offerings to small business will elevate Brevard County as a premier High Tech community. This will pull in new business opportunities and enable our local economy to thrive,” stated Davis.
For more information, please contact: Jennifer Lasser, Industry Relations Manager, CareerSource Brevard: [email protected].
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CareerSource Brevard is the area authority on workforce development, providing comprehensive services, labor market information and access to resources for businesses and career seekers. Visit www.careersourcebrevard.com or call (321) 504-7600 for more information about our services and resources.