Promotes Skills Development, Employment Opportunities for Coloradans
Bennet Supported Grant Application
The U.S. Department of Labor today announced a nine-college consortium in Colorado led by Front Range Community College will receive a $24,945,310 competitive grant for the development and expansion of innovative training programs. Senator Michael Bennet advocated on behalf of the consortium’s grant application in a letter to the Labor Department in August.
The grant is part of the Trade Adjustment Assistance Community College and Career Training Grant Program, which promotes skills development and employment opportunities in fields such as advanced manufacturing, transportation and health care, as well as science, technology, engineering and math through partnerships between training providers and local employers. Labor Secretary Tom Perez announced the grants with Lieutenant Governor Joe Garcia this morning at Front Range Community College.
“Many Coloradans who are still struggling during the economic recovery want nothing more than to put in an honest day’s work at a good-paying job to help provide for their families,” Bennet said. “This grant will help a team of colleges and universities in our state put together a set of programs to train job seekers with skills that are aligned with the needs of employers. It will help get Coloradans back to work and provide a boost to our economy.”
The full list of institutions and their respective awards is included below:
- Front Range Community College, Westminster, $9,925,073
- Aims Community College, Greeley, $2,106,296
- Community College of Denver, Denver, $3,534,061
- Emily Griffith Technical College, Denver, $417,734
- Lamar Community College, Lamar, $1,092,663
- Metropolitan State University, Denver, $1,958,663
- Pikes Peak Community College, Colorado Springs, $2,307,859
- Pueblo Community College, Pueblo, $1,656,914
- Red Rocks Community College/Warren Technical College, Lakewood, $1,946,047
During his time in the Senate, Bennet has advocated for legislation to improve federal job training programs to ensure workers are getting the skills needed by employers. Earlier this year, Bennet introduced the bipartisan Careers Through Responsive, Efficient and Effective Retraining (CAREER) Act with Senator Rob Portman (R-OH), which would make federal job training programs more responsive to the needs of the 21st-century job market.
Bennet also successfully secured a provision from the CAREER Act as an amendment to the Workforce Investment Act, which was reported out of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee in July.