 |
Left: Job Corps National Director Esther Johnson speaks at the February 21 groundbreaking ceremony of the new Pinellas Job Corps Center in St. Petersburg, Florida.
Right: Director Johnson participates in the groundbreaking of the new Pinellas Job Corps Center. |
 |
St. Petersburg, Florida, February 21, 2008 - Noting the Department of Labor's continuing commitment to providing young people in Florida with the education and training needed to compete in the 21st century workforce, Job Corps National Director Esther Johnson joined Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao on February 21, in the ceremonial groundbreaking at the site of the new Pinellas Job Corps Center in St. Petersburg, Florida.
"This Job Corps center will help young people turn their lives around and start anew," Secretary Chao told an audience of community leaders and Job Corps staff and students. "In addition to a job training curriculum geared toward high-growth fields, these students will learn about teamwork and practice other so-called 'soft skills' that contribute to success in the workplace. Dr. Johnson said that when finished in the summer of 2009, "The $40 million Pinellas Job Corps Center will include nine buildings on a 16-acre campus, which can serve about 300 students who will receive education and training in fields such as health care, construction, automotive and machine repair, and information technology." The center will be located at 5th Avenue South and 22nd Street South in St. Petersburg.
Job Corps is the nation’s largest and oldest federally-funded job training and education program for "at promise" youth ages 16 through 24. With 122 centers nationwide, the program enrolls approximately 60,000 new youth each year in more than 100 career areas.
| |
|
