ARRA Stimulus Funds at Work at Triton College

Triton College has a long-standing commitment to local economic development, and this includes networking with state and local agencies and institutions to secure and provide educational resources for district companies both large and small.
This year, in support of that commitment, the college's School of Continuing Education is working with two of our district's largest employers to provide training and development activities for their employees.
As part of a $1.6 million American Recovery and Reinvestment Act grant received in 2009, the college received funding to work with Navistar Engine Group at their facility in Melrose Park. The project involves training welders, carpenters, sheet metal workers, and millwrights to a foundational standard through an educational program designed in conjunction with the company's employee union. The program consists of pre-apprenticeship assessment and 480 hours of customized training to be completed by the spring of 2011.
Continuing Education also partnered with Alberto Culver, Inc., in Melrose Park, in applying for an ARRA sector-based grant for manufacturing under the section for improving competitiveness and preventing dislocation of incumbent workers. The company was awarded $348,000 to provide training in critical developmental areas for the 800 employees at their Melrose Park facility, and the funding is being used to implement lean manufacturing processes, provide project management training, and upgrade selected technology. This project is also slated for completion in the spring of 2011.
For more information about economic development and corporate training activities, contact the Triton College School of Continuing Education's Center for Business and Professional Development at (708) 456-0300, Ext. 3489, or send an e-mail to CBPD@triton.edu.
Triton College is located at 2000 Fifth Ave., River Grove, Ill.
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