Major federal grants will provide job training, placement
for displaced area autoworkers

Workers in the St. Louis region will benefit from two multi-million dollar job-training awards as part of the Energy Training Partnership grant program authorized by the Recovery Act:

A $3.2 million grant will be used to retrain dislocated auto and related workers in areas such as Hybrid/Electric Auto Technician, Electric Auto/Truck Battery Technician, Electric Motors/Devices Technician, and Commercial Energy Technician.  The grant will also establish a "Green Portal" job placement program that will provide career assessment, labor market information, and job search assistance.  The grant invests in a diverse partnership including the UAW-Labor Employment and Training Corporation, St. Louis Community College, St. Louis Economic Development Council, General Motors and St. Louis Auto Dealership Association among others.

"Last year, our community was hit hard when the Fenton plants closed," said Carnahan.  "Both in our efforts to find future uses for this state-of-the-art facility and in how we train workers, we must think strategically and work cooperatively to make sure our region can lead the way in the economy of the future."

In addition, a $4.99 million grant will be awarded to the International Training Institute for the Sheet Metal and Air-Conditioning Industry to train workers in the St. Louis region and five other states in energy efficient building construction, retrofitting, and manufacturing.

"By teaching workers the skills required to succeed in emerging industries like energy efficiency and renewable energy we are taking steps to make sure we emerge from this recession stronger than before," said Carnahan, who is co-chair and founder of the High Performance Building Caucus in the U.S. House of Representatives.  "These are smart investments that will pay dividends in our long-term regional economic health."

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