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News Release
U.S. Secretary of Labor announces $10 million in grants to expand technology-based learning
Awards will go to 20 projects in 16 states
WASHINGTON – U.S. Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao today announced $10 million in grants to increase access to technology-based learning. Twenty projects were selected from a pool of 193 applications.
"These $10 million in grants will increase workers' access to skills training through the Internet, video teleconferencing and other technology-based learning media," said Secretary Chao.
Technology-based learning broadly refers to transmitting knowledge through electronic means, whether over the Internet, through video conferencing, by DVD or via other media. It encompasses scheduled, teacher-student instruction as well as unscheduled, self-directed learning.
Successful applications came from organizations in 16 states. California, Florida, Nevada and Utah each had two proposals chosen. Nine projects involve health care, five cover information technology, two focus on advanced manufacturing and one will train participants in "green" construction skills. The remaining projects involve the transportation, geospatial technology and energy industries. Individual awards start at just over $150,000 and run up to almost $1 million.
The projects will employ a variety of technology-based learning applications, ranging from setting up a "virtual hospital" to help train nurses to using online chat rooms to provide students with one-on-one support. In addition, award-winning projects have teamed up with growing industries, area workforce and economic development entities, and educational institutions including community and four-year colleges. Today's grantees and their partners will carry out their activities over a three-year period.
This competition was announced in the Federal Register on June 20, 2008, and is part of the Labor Department's Employment and Training Administration's Technology-Based Learning Initiative, which was launched in 2006.
Editor's Note: A list of award-winning organizations and relevant industries is below.
2009 Technology-Based Learning Grants Award-Winning Organizations
Organization | City | State | Industry | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Able-Disabled Advocacy, Inc. | San Diego | Calif. | Information technology | $584,600 |
County of Orange, OC Community Resources | Santa Ana | Calif. | Health care | $500,000 |
University of Colorado, Denver | Adams | Colo. | Energy | $502,596 |
Gulf Coast Community College | Panama City | Fla. | Advanced manufacturing | $499,583 |
Hillsborough Community College | Tampa | Fla. | Advanced manufacturing | $498,815 |
State of Illinois | Springfield | Ill. | Information technology | $500,000 |
Madisonville Community College | Madisonville | Ky. | Health care | $425,181 |
Dillard University | New Orleans | La. | Construction | $969,090 |
The Guidance Center | Southgate | Mich. | Health care | $500,000 |
College of Southern Nevada | Las Vegas | Nev. | Health care | $420,727 |
Reno Community Services Agency | Reno | Nev. | Transportation | $499,900 |
The Research Foundation of the State University of New York | Albany | N.Y. | Health care | $365,666 |
Wake Technical Community College | Raleigh | N.C. | Information technology | $383,686 |
Temple University Center for Social Policy and Community Development | Philadelphia | Pa. | Information technology | $695,569 |
Greenville Technical College | Greenville | S.C. | Health care | $154,018 |
North Central Texas College | Gainesville | Tex. | Health care | $538,947 |
Ogden-Weber Applied Technology College | Weber | Utah | Information technology | $500,000 |
Western Governors University | Salt Lake City | Utah | Health care | $500,000 |
Northern Virginia Community College | Annandale | Va. | Geospatial technology | $492,458 |
West Virginia University at Parkersburg | Parkersburg | W.Va. | Health care | $469,164 |
| Total = $10,000,000 | ||||
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