AT&T Announces $150,000 Contribution to Henry Ford Community College and Michigan Alliance for High-Tech Skills Training

DEARBORN, Mich., April 29 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Today, AT&T* announced a $150,000 contribution to support the Michigan Alliance for High Skills Training – an industry-led job training program announced earlier this year.

The Michigan Alliance for High Skills Training is a public-private partnership, made up of a business coalition formed by AT&T* (NYSE: T), including Capital Communications, Goodman Networks, Lineage Power, Quanta Services (NYSE: PWR) and Telecom Technicians, and Henry Ford Community College.  The job retraining program will be available to displaced workers and interested students in Michigan later this year.

The announcement was made at a reception today to celebrate the launch of the alliance where federal, state and local officials, along with area education and community leaders, joined AT&T and the other members of the alliance on the campus of Henry Ford Community College.

The program supports efforts by Governor Granholm and other Michigan leaders, as well as the Obama Administration, to engage businesses in the education and retraining of displaced workers.  

"Michigan has the infrastructure and the workforce to help our country rebuild itself through new technology, and I am pleased to see President Obama and the administration recognize that and encouraged a program such as this," said U.S. Rep.

John Dingell.  "Michigan has served as the 'Arsenal of Democracy' and put the world on wheels, and there is no doubt in my mind that we can lead the country in any of the new, high tech industries on the horizon."

"We have a unique opportunity to help lead Michigan and the country in developing the workforce of the future, and we are proud to be a part of it," said Dr. Gail Mee, Henry Ford Community College president.  "Michigan workers have been struggling for some time and now is our chance to help them learn new skills and take Michigan from the brink to the cutting edge."  

"The leadership we have in Washington and in Lansing has recognized the tremendous assets we have in our community colleges and we are thrilled to be able to partner with one of the best to put this program together," said James A. Murray, president, AT&T Michigan.  "We have valuable resources here in Michigan – from the schools to our workforce – and companies like ours, the others in the Alliance and the entire state will benefit from this program for years into the future."

Today's announcement caps off a two-day curriculum summit held at Henry Ford Community College, during which the business alliance began crafting the curriculum that will be part of the program and available to students beginning in the fall.  The goal of the program is to develop core competencies and skills to retrain workers for 21st century jobs.  

"This week's summit was important to get all of us in the same room and start really getting into the details of the curriculum we are creating," said Jon Somes, president and chief executive officer of Telecom Technicians, Inc.  "We are working with an amazing group of businesses and a great school, so we are excited to see the progress so far."

"Lineage is proud to share our expertise of powering global telecommunications, computing and data storage equipment with Henry Ford Community College and Michigan's workforce to help build the next-generation Mobile Internet," said Craig Witsoe, CEO of Lineage Power. "The Lineage Power Total Efficiency™  technology, combined with the educational resources and talent in Michigan is a great example of public-private partnerships advancing 21st century job opportunities."

The program's curriculum will include a mixture of classes HFCC currently provides in business and technology, as well as new classes created out of the input provided to the school by the business alliance at the summit.

"The program will be robust and challenging, offering students the opportunity to learn a wide variety of new skills, which can help them in the future," said Kenneth W. Trawick, president – telecommunications division, Quanta Services.  "In return, the skills the students will come away with will benefit the community and the state of Michigan in the long run."

*AT&T products and services are provided or offered by subsidiaries and affiliates of AT&T Inc. under the AT&T brand and not by AT&T Inc.

About AT&T

AT&T Inc. (NYSE: T) is a premier communications holding company. Its subsidiaries and affiliates, AT&T operating companies, are the providers of AT&T services in the United States and around the world. Among their offerings are the world's most advanced IP-based business communications services, the nation's fastest 3G network and the best wireless coverage worldwide, and the nation's leading high speed Internet access and voice services. In domestic markets, AT&T is known for the directory publishing and advertising sales leadership of its Yellow Pages and YELLOWPAGES.COM organizations, and the AT&T brand is licensed to innovators in such fields as communications equipment. As part of their three-screen integration strategy, AT&T operating companies are expanding their TV entertainment offerings. In 2009, AT&T again ranked No. 1 in the telecommunications industry on FORTUNE® magazine's list of the World's Most Admired Companies. Additional information about AT&T Inc. and the products and services provided by AT&T subsidiaries and affiliates is available at http://www.att.com.

About Philanthropy at AT&T

AT&T and the AT&T Foundation are committed to advancing education, strengthening communities and improving lives. Through its philanthropic initiatives and partnerships, AT&T supports projects that create learning opportunities; promote academic and economic achievement; and address community needs. The AT&T Foundation celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2009, and more than $160 million was contributed through AT&T corporate-, employee- and AT&T Foundation-giving programs in 2008 alone.

© 2009 AT&T Intellectual Property. All rights reserved. AT&T, the AT&T logo and all other marks contained herein are trademarks of AT&T Intellectual Property and/or AT&T affiliated companies.

About Henry Ford Community College

Henry Ford Community College in Dearborn, MI is a comprehensive public community college serving 19,000 students each fall and winter semester in southeast Michigan.  HFCC is dedicated to preparing people  for a rapidly changing world and workplace by offering more than 100 associate degree university transfer and career programs.  HFCC offers high-quality, innovative programs to meet the educational and training needs of the culturally and racially diverse population of southeast Michigan. In addition to providing a pool of highly skilled workers for Detroit-area employers, HFCC also specializes in customized workforce development training for major businesses and industrial corporations. To learn more about HFCC, go to www.hfcc.edu.

About Capital Communications

Established in 1986, Capital Communications, Inc. focuses on partnering with our clients to provide solutions and improve efficiencies through customized telecommunications systems. Exceptional customer service and an uncompromising work ethic are the hallmarks of our company. Our clients include Fortune 500 corporations, cities, government agencies and other organizations.  As one of AT&T's most tenured Michigan partners, Capital Communications offers a complete range of cutting-edge engineering and installation services for the central office environment and the ever-expanding mobility cell sites. Capital Communications' highly qualified engineers, on-time project management and dedicated installation technicians have earned us the reputation as one of the most trusted and respected telecommunications providers in the Midwest.  Visit http://capcominc.com/ for more information.

About Goodman Networks

Goodman Networks is a TL 9000-V certified telecom services company helping customers engineer, deploy, integrate and maintain complex and converging communications networks.  Goodman Networks customers benefit from history of project success regardless of size, scope, location or complexity.  These successes are due to both the company's mature processes and systems and the over 1,500 telecommunications professionals that provide the end-to-end management of these projects for its customers.  The company is headquartered in Plano, TX with offices throughout the US.  Goodman Networks is a TL 9000-V certified and is a certified MBE and Corporate Plus member of the National Minority Supplier Development Council.  Visit www.goodmannetworks.com for more information.

About Lineage Power Corporation

Lineage Power Corporation, a Gores Group company, traces its 95+ year heritage of patented innovation to AT&T, Bell Labs, Lucent Technologies and Western Electric.  The first name in power, Lineage delivers reliable and intelligent power conversion solutions with energy-efficient AC-DC power supplies, DC-DC board-mounted power modules, telecom energy systems, and custom power products backed by local field expertise in 25+ locations worldwide. Designed for decades of non-stop operation, the high-availability DC power conversion solutions enable voice, video and data communications while assuring investment protection, total system efficiency, and significantly reduced total cost of ownership.  More information about Lineage hardware, software, services and training is available at www.lineagepower.com.

About Quanta Services

Quanta Services (NYSE: PWR) is a leading specialized contracting services company, delivering infrastructure solutions for the electric power, natural gas, pipeline, telecommunications and cable television industries.  The company's comprehensive services include the design, installation, repair and maintenance of network infrastructure nationwide.  Quanta's patent-pending micro-trenching solution is just one part of Quanta's turnkey fiber deployment services, which take fiber projects from concept to the customer, by providing a complete range of services from engineering through project management to content acquisition and residential and commercial marketing and installation. In addition, Quanta provides point-to-point fiber optic telecommunications infrastructure and licensing in select markets and offers related design, procurement, construction and maintenance services.  Visit www.quantaservices.com for more information.  

About Telecom Technicians, Inc.

With over 25 years of experience in deploying some of the nation's most advanced networks, Telecom Technicians, Inc. is recognized as a leading partner in network integration, providing rapid, cost effective high quality solutions.  By ensuring that our customers' network integration needs are met, we are continually rewarding them with a competitive edge.  At TTI, our objective is to: "Provide the best possible network services through our commitment to quality management."  TTI links people with technology, creating opportunities for customers to improve productivity and achieve their goals. For more information about our company, please visit www.telecomtech.com.  

SOURCE AT&T Inc.