Tech Prep of the Rio Grande Valley, Inc. Receives $50,000 from the Levi Strauss Foundation to Fund New Workforce Retraining Program.

News Editors/Business Editors/Education Writers

HARLINGEN, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 10, 2003

Tech Prep of the Rio Grande Valley, Inc. announced today that it received $50,000 in Community Transition Grants from the Levi Strauss Foundation to retrain individuals for work relevant to the job market and business needs in the Lower Rio Grande Valley.

Communities Career Ladder (C2L), the new program funded by the Levi Strauss Foundation, is designed to bridge the gap between labor market studies and the business community's actual and predicted needs. The C2L program will provide training on the most up-to-date equipment and technology systems so that potential employees are adequately prepared to secure available jobs after completion of the program.

"The Levi Strauss Foundation wanted to make sure that this training program reaches the unemployed and underemployed, so they have the necessary tools and knowledge to help them successfully climb the employment ladder leading to positions of greater responsibility and opportunity," said Stuart Burden, U.S. Program Director of the Levi Strauss Foundation.

The new C2L program is different from traditional programs in that it:

-- focuses on retraining talent so employees possess the

necessary skills that can help contribute to growing existing

businesses;

-- develops a leading edge workforce that will attract new

businesses to the area;

-- offers continual training opportunities, enabling participants

to advance their careers;

-- leverages information technology and regional resources

helping to improve workplace quality standards; and

-- uses advanced computer technology to provide training and

match qualified individuals with existing job opportunities.

A Cameron County working model is being developed first to directly serve some initial employers and job seekers, while the overall C2L regional project development work continues. The program is being developed through a joint initiative of the Cross Border Institute for Regional Development - Texas Regional Action Council (CBIRD-TRAC); IC2 Institute, The University of Texas at Austin; VIDA; Cameron Works, Inc.; Workforce Solutions; and other partners.

The Levi Strauss Foundation Community Transition Grants program extends resources into communities where Levi Strauss & Co. (LS&CO.) closed facilities. The Harlingen, Texas plant was closed in June 2002. The grant program is designed to help employees transition from LS&CO. to new opportunities and to help ease the social and economic impact on local communities.

The Levi Strauss Foundation was established in 1952 to provide grants to community-based organizations working to create meaningful social change in communities. The Levi Strauss Foundation funds programs worldwide where LS&CO. has a business presence.