U.S. Labor Secretary Hilda L. Solis Announces Grant to Help Create New Apprenticeship Program Entitled, "Making It In America"

PITTSBURGH, June 14, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Pennsylvania AFL-CIO President Rick Bloomingdale and Secretary-Treasurer Frank Snyder welcomed today's announcement by United States Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis of the awarding of a grant to further pursue the development of a new apprenticeship training program entitled,  "Making It In America".

The announcement was made at a press conference held at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh.  Both Bloomingdale and Snyder thanked Secretary Solis as well as Jared Cohon, the President of Carnegie Mellon University, and Joseph G. Belechak, the President of the Three Rivers Workforce Investment Board, for their important roles in helping move this visionary project forward.

"The awarding of this grant is a very important step forward in connecting the skills of Pennsylvania and America's workforce to the needs of start-up companies at the earliest stages; to promote and encourage these emerging companies to utilize Pennsylvania workers in building their companies instead of moving jobs overseas," Bloomingdale said, in thanking Secretary Holis and the other leaders.

"This is about moving our workforce development more rapidly into the 21st century by building partnerships and relationships between skilled workers, scientists, engineers and leaders of emerging companies. This is an opportunity to both retrofit and retool our industry and workers. Keeping it made in Pennsylvania, and eventually, actually exporting the ingenious products of the future, that are globally used. It is also about helping universities and leaders of startup companies apply the practical skills and experience of workers in speeding new innovations and technologies to the workplace and to market," Bloomingdale said.

"The future is now and we want to be sure our workers and our unions in manufacturing, building and construction, communications, energy, transportation and infrastructure are fully prepared to produce and to build the industries and companies of the future," Snyder added.

"The collaboration we are building upon today between unions, startup entrepreneurs and Carnegie Mellon University may very well become the framework for workforce development programs across the United States," Snyder said.

"We plan on delivering our best and brightest to ensure that the strong unions of Pennsylvania continue their tradition of being leaders in training and playing an active role in economic development in our state and our country. Technology does not have to kill jobs. It can truly create jobs. Our goal is to be a strong part of the ever-changing work force," Snyder concluded. 

SOURCE Pennsylvania AFL-CIO