Memphis Bioworks Foundation Awarded $3.7 Million U.S. Department of Labor Grant
H-1B Technical Skills Training Grant focused on providing jobs training for unemployed American workers
For Immediate Release
Contacts:
Regina Whitley
Memphis Bioworks Foundation
901-866-1452
Ralph Berry
Thompson & Berry Public Relations
901-486-4269
Memphis Bioworks Foundation Awarded $3.7 Million
U.S. Department of Labor Grant
H-1B Technical Skills Training Grant focused on providing jobs training for unemployed American workers
MEMPHIS, Tennessee, October 7, 2011 – The U.S. Department of Labor has awarded Memphis Bioworks Foundation a four-year, $3.7 million grant to deliver high-growth jobs training and jobs-placement assistance targeting long-term unemployed American workers in fields in which employers are currently using the H-1B nonimmigrant visa program. H-1B visas are granted to nonimmigrant foreign workers in specialty fields, such as advanced manufacturing, energy, health care and information technology.
Under the H-1B Technical Skills Training Grant, Memphis Bioworks Foundation will lead a consortium of training providers that includes Southwest Tennessee Community College, Tennessee Technology Center at Memphis, LabFour, Seedco and Workforce Investment Network (WIN) to train workers in Shelby and Fayette counties who have been unemployed for six months or longer. The partners will provide classroom training in seven health care occupational fields: Assistant Animal Lab Technician, Biotechnology Technician, Health Information Technician, Implementation Support Specialist, Network & Computer System Administrator, Health Information Privacy & Security Specialist, and Computer Programmer/Software Developer.
"These grants are an important part of the administration's efforts to help ensure that our workers have the chance to succeed in new and emerging fields, and that growing businesses have access to the skilled American workforce they need," said Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis.
Memphis Bioworks Foundation is one of 36 public-private partnerships in 20 states that received part of a $159 million effort to reduce the dependence on H-1B visa program. These grants are funded through fees paid by employers to bring foreign workers into the United States under the H-1B program. They are intended to raise the technical skill levels of American workers and, over time, help businesses reduce their need to use the H-1B program.
“At a time when Americans desperately need jobs, we can’t afford to hire people from abroad to do work here at home,” Congressman Steve Cohen said. “This grant will provide Memphians with the skills and training they need to fill positions that are already available here in the Mid-South.”
“We are pleased to again take a leadership role for a program in our region funded by the U.S. Department of Labor,” said Steven Bares, president and executive director, Memphis Bioworks Foundation. “Working to improve the skill levels of our citizens in the Mid-South is critical in expanding our competitive advantages in growing technology fields.
Memphis Bioworks Foundation is also administering a $2.9 million Department of Labor Energy Training Partnership Grant under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) that was awarded in January 2010. The two-year initiative is funding programs to train area workers for jobs in energy-efficiency and renewable-energy occupations.
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Memphis Bioworks Foundation
The Memphis Bioworks Foundation is a not-for-profit organization, formed to lead the collaboration between public, private, academic and government entities to accelerate the growth of the bioscience industry in the region. Memphis Bioworks strives to leverage and expand the regional strengths in the biosciences through education, research, job training, and commercialization. Memphis Bioworks is leading the development of the UT-Baptist Research Park, which serves as the focal point of the city’s biomedical economic development. For more information, visit www.memphisbioworks.org.
