photos © US Department of Labor, 2012
AVONDALE, Arizona – The campus of Estrella Mountain Community College (EMCC) was honored by the visit of U.S. Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis on Monday, October 15 to officially recognize and celebrate the launch of a statewide educational initiative, the Arizona Sun Corridor Get Into Energy Consortium (ASC-GIEC).
EMCC is leading a five-school consortium that recently received $13,477,799 in grants through the U.S. Department of Labor’s (DOL) Trade Adjustment Assistance Community College to Career Training (TAACCCT) initiative. The funding will help train trade-impacted workers and other adults for high-skill, high-wage employment in energy and mining industries.
“We will hold this (program) up as a model to inspire more across the nation,” said Solis. “We need to make an earnest effort to promote STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) learning and workforce development for the state of Arizona and our nation.” Solis also added that the mining industry is growing, which is surprising amidst the rest of the economic downturn and downsizing.
The SouthWest Skill Center (SWSC) on the campus of EMCC will be the educational portal for developing and delivering the curriculum for the Get Into Energy program. Solis toured the facility, including two lab-classrooms, and had the opportunity to meet and talk with several students enrolled in the inaugural program which set the model for the ASC-GIEC initiative.
After the tour, EMCC hosted a small, invitation-only press conference consisting of the educational and industry partners, political dignitaries, and the media. During her brief keynote speech, Solis said the ASC-GIEC grant was one of the largest awarded by the DOL, and she was excited to be back at EMCC after her visit in May 2012 when she was the special guest speaker of the campus’ graduation ceremony.
The five partnering community colleges include EMCC and Chandler-Gilbert Community College, both of the Maricopa Community College District, Northland Pioneer College, Pima Community College, and Yavapai Community College.
The industry partners, who are the driving force of the state’s energy workforce development needs, include Arizona Public Service (APS), APS-Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station, Tucson Electric Power, Salt River Project, Arizona’s Generation and Transmission (G&T) Cooperatives, Freeport-McMoRan Copper& Gold, ASARCO, and the Center for Energy Workforce Development.
A total of 54 grants covering nearly 300 schools across the country were announced Sept. 19. These grants will foster partnerships between community colleges and local employers to promote skills development and employment opportunities in fields such as advanced manufacturing, transportation and health care, as well as science, technology, engineering and math occupations. Additional information on the program, including a full list of grantees, is available online at http://www.doleta.gov/taaccct.