Sturtevant---Two potential impediments to gaining a good job—the cost of training and then the job itself—are eliminated under a pair of grants that were awarded this week to Racine County by the state Department of Workforce Development.
The $700,000 of “Fast Forward” grants will be used to cover the costs of training and support services in an effort to find jobs for some 200 unemployed, under-employed or hard-to-employ Racine County residents.
The cost of the training to program participants is zero, according to Stacia Thompson, Gateway’s Director of Workforce Strategies.
The grants are related to Foxconn only in the sense that the Taiwanese company's presence is expected to spur additional growth.
The positions that are open to the offer include CNC operator/programmers, logistics technicians, truck drivers, electronic assemblers, construction workers and carpenters.
What’s more, some 22 area companies have already agreed in writing to hire over two-hundred program participants.
In addition to the state grants, some local matching dollars are involved as well. Racine County, the Racine Community Foundation and United Way will kick in $90,000 to recruit job seekers and provide support. Additional dollars, including money for wage subsidies, will come from Big Step, the First Choice Pre-Apprenticeship Program and United Migrant Opportunity Services.
State Dept. of Workforce Development Secretary Ray Allen traveled to iMET in Sturtevant to announce the grants.
-0-