LOS ANGELES (CNS) — Two Los Angeles organizations will receive federal grants to train a new generation of skilled workers and support long-term careers in the public transportation industry.
Community Career Development, Inc. will get a $331,313 grant for its Moving Employees into Transit Related Opportunities program, which will partner with organizations like L.A. Valley College to recruit and train low-income individuals, women, veterans and minorities.
Los Angeles Trade-Technical College will receive $750,000 to establish the Institute for Advanced Transportation Technology Training — the first program of its kind in a community college in the country.
The grants — announced in Los Angeles by U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx — are provided through the Federal Transit Administration’s Innovative Public Transportation Workforce Development program.
FTA’s workforce development projects will develop or expand strategic partnerships with transit agencies, labor unions, non-profits, and academic institutions, and some will also support small businesses in the transit sector owned by women and minorities.
“The public transit industry offers good-paying careers that can lift Americans into the middle class or help them stay there, and more of these careers will be available in the future,” Foxx said. “These grants will help us overcome skills gaps and provide more young people with the training, apprenticeships, and educational opportunities they need to gain entry into these careers.”