Department of Labor Funds Geospatial Training

Speaking by video conference to the handful of geospatial, defense, and homeland security experts that made it to Orlando for Spatial Tech 2004 despite Hurricane Jeanne, U.S. Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao announced on September 28 nearly $4.9 million in grants to train workers for careers in the geospatial industry as part of the Bush administration’s High Growth Job Training Initiative.

By: Scottie Barnes
Geospatial Solutions

http://www.geospatial-online.com/geospatialsolutions/article/articleDetail.jsp?id=129147

(Thanks to Alex Philip of GCS Research http://www.gcs-research.net for passing this along.- Russ)

"The geospatial industry is fast growing and exciting and it offers a great deal of job opportunities," said Secretary Chao. "The workforce in this industry has doubled in the past four years and accelerated growth is expected in the years ahead. That’s why training is so impor-tant. And that’s why the administration is devoting $4.9 million to invest in training and education models that can be replicated across the country to prepare our workers for the exciting and good paying career opportunities this industry offers," Chao continued.

The President’s High Growth Job Training Initiative is a strategic effort to better prepare workers to take advantage of new job opportunities in high-growth sectors of the U.S. economy (see "High Growth Jobs Initiative," Capitol Outlook, Geospatial Solutions, June 2004, p. 20) http://www.geospatial-online.com/geospatialsolutions/article/articleDetail.jsp?id=96795 . Through state and local partners, the Employment and Training Administration seeks to match job training and employment services with current employer needs. The Bush administration pledged to invest as much as $15 billion annually for such worker training programs.

Grants awarded to the Spatial Technologies Industry Association (http://www.spatialtech.org), Nortel Network Kidz Online (http://www.kidzonline.org), William F. Goodling Advanced Skills Center (http://www.advskills.org), and Rancho Santiago Community College District (http://www.rsccd.org) will be used to improve outreach and recruitment of workers and increase the training opportunities for those entering or continuing their geospatial careers, explained Chao. Recipients of the initial awards are tasked with creating and developing a training module that can be used by U.S. educational institutions and industry organizations to prepare workers for geospatial careers.

For more information about the president’s High Growth Job Training Initiative, visit the U.S. Department of Labor Web site at http://www.doleta.gov/BRG/JobTrainInitiative/.