$1 Million SBC Grant to Fund Break Away Technologies, Community Colleges Workforce Development Program.Business Editors & High-Tech/Education Writers LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 29, 2002 Break Away to Develop Curriculum to be Used Nationwide to "Fast Track" Information Technology Training for Urban Workers Break Away Technologies and the American Association American Association refers to one of the following professional baseball leagues:
AACC American Association for Clinical Chemistry AACC American Association of Cereal Chemists AACC Anne Arundel Community College ) have been awarded a $1 million grant from the SBC (1) (SBC Communications Inc., San Antonio, TX, www.sbc.com) A large, national telecommunications company that grew from a multitude of local and regional companies, including Southwestern Bell, Pacific Bell and Nevada Bell, into a single, unified brand by 2002. Foundation to fund a collaborative effort to put low-income, urban workers on a "fast track" for information technology careers. According to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. Joseph Loeb, Founder and President of Break Away Technologies, the focus of the collaboration will be on providing increased technology access and training opportunities to underserved communities, thereby removing the barriers that have prevented full participation in the IT workforce by the nation's working poor. Loeb said that SBC's support will enable significant, nationwide expansion of Break Away's workforce development activities and is an important step toward overcoming one of the nation's most pressing and unnecessary labor market labor market A place where labor is exchanged for wages; an LM is defined by geography, education and technical expertise, occupation, licensure or certification requirements, and job experience contradictions. That is: the growing demand for technology-proficient workers even as so many in our society are excluded from access to the training they need to acquire the skills for the jobs. "In America today, there is a growing demand for people to fill high-paying IT jobs, yet large numbers of urban workers remain entrenched en·trench also in·trench v. en·trenched, en·trench·ing, en·trench·es v.tr. 1. To provide with a trench, especially for the purpose of fortifying or defending. 2. in poverty, without the skills needed to compete for those positions," he said. He noted that in 2001 alone, more than 190,000 H-1B visas This article or section may contain original research or unverified claims. Please help Wikipedia by adding references. See the for details. This article has been tagged since September 2007. were granted to foreign workers foreign workers Those who work in a foreign country without initially intending to settle there and without the benefits of citizenship in the host country. Some are recruited to supplement the workforce of a host country for a limited term or to provide skills on a recruited to fill computer-related jobs in the United States United States, officially United States of America, republic (2005 est. pop. 295,734,000), 3,539,227 sq mi (9,166,598 sq km), North America. The United States is the world's third largest country in population and the fourth largest country in area. . For its part, Break Away will develop a pre-vocational, college-credit, computer-based curriculum to give workers the technical and literacy skills to compete. The Web Portal See portal. through which the curriculum will be delivered to community colleges and technology centers across the nation also will be created by Break Away. The program will target low-income adults who currently have little chance for career advancement: women and men transitioning from welfare to work, as well as underserved young adults (18-24), older workers, minorities, and individuals with disabilities who may be on public assistance and are either unemployed or working at or near the minimum wage. Loeb said that the curriculum will differ from traditional IT courses in that, in addition to providing the important technical skills training needed for today's technology jobs, it will address life and professional skills critical to success in the business world. The curriculum will be divided into four levels, or tiers. Level 1 (100-150 hours) covers basic literacy and an introduction to computer training. Level 2 (300 hours) continues computer training, augmented by life and professional skills, and an introduction to industry, employment and companies. Level 3 entails 3-12 months of paid internship/work experience, and is the first launching point into full-time employment. Level 4 (300 hours) is the most advanced tier, with specialized training options to prepare people for employment in positions ranging from computer programming to network design and administration. Faculty from six selected community colleges will serve on the curriculum development committee with Break Away staff The curriculum will be implemented by community colleges and technology training centers across the nation. This will include not only the more than 200 community technology centers already a part of the Break Away consortium, but hundreds of new locations in underserved urban areas. The courses will be delivered via a special Internet Portal developed and administered by Break Away. College credit will be offered for each course level completed. "This is significant," said Loeb, "because it will allow community technology centers offering the curriculum to become 'feeder systems' for local community colleges, providing people who otherwise would have little or no access to a college, the entry point for life-long learning and career development." Headquartered in the Jefferson Park Jefferson Park may refer to:
adj. 1. Designed to break, bend, or fall apart easily upon impact, especially to create an illusion, as with a theater prop, or for safety, as with a highway sign or barrier. 2. .org) is a 501(c) 3 non-profit consortium for community technology and a community development think tank. Break Away Technologies was founded in 1992 by Joseph Loeb, who envisioned technology training as a vehicle to help people in underserved communities "break away" from unproductive behaviors and access career and life opportunities available in the digital age. The organization has established more than 200 community technology centers, and offers a range of technology training and services to individuals, community-based and faith-based organizations, social service and health agencies, schools, libraries, and businesses. |
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