Search News
For the Media
For media inquiries, call CWA Communications at 202-434-1168 or email comms@cwa-union.org. To read about CWA Members, Leadership or Industries, visit our About page.
$1.5 Million Grant from DOL to Boost Hi-Tech Training
The Department of Labor has awarded $1.5 million to CWA through a community partner to deliver high-tech training to American workers at its Washington, D.C. and Fremont, Calif. centers, reported CWA Executive Vice President Larry Cohen. The grant is one of nine announced by the agency on Feb. 10 to ease the skilled labor shortage in the high-technology and health care fields.
“The two fields where we see the most visa applications for foreign workers are information technology and health care,” said Secretary of Labor Alexis Herman. “We have to address the skill shortages and ensure that American workers have the first opportunity for these high-paying jobs.”
The DOL grants are funded by a portion of the $500 fee employers pay for each temporary foreign worker they hire with an H-1B visa. Employers have increasingly used the H-1B visa program as the demand for information technology grows. The visas are issued to highly skilled foreign workers who have college degrees. DOL’s grant to the Prince George’s Workforce Services Corp. in Landover, Md., based upon CWA’s proposal, will fund training for members of the community and for CWA members who are not eligible for reimbursement through plans the union has negotiated with employers.
“The proposal we submitted included training leading to cabling certifications, A+ computer technology, and Cisco Network Associate certifications for workers wanting to enter the industry, as well as existing workers,” said Paul Anderson, director of apprenticeship, benefits and training.
“Our proposal calls for spending about 50 percent of the grant in the D.C. metro area and 50 percent in Fremont, which serves the entire San Francisco Bay area,” Anderson said. “We will be incorporating our distance learning partners, Cisco Systems and Stanly Community College, in this effort. We have a two-year time period to deliver the training.”
CWA’s Washington, D.C. training center is about to graduate its first class of 16 computer technology technicians, placed in training through the community partner, said Steve Hill, CWA’s employment center and apprenticeship administrator. The Fremont center continually trains telecom apprentices referred through CWA’s multi-employer apprenticeship program.
More than 600 veterans and CWA members have registered for A+ and Cisco training, which will be delivered online but requires 16 hours of lab work per semester in one of four CWA training centers located in the District of Columbia and California.
“We have thousands of members in the Washington, D.C. and Bay areas who will be able to take advantage of this,” Hill said.
“The two fields where we see the most visa applications for foreign workers are information technology and health care,” said Secretary of Labor Alexis Herman. “We have to address the skill shortages and ensure that American workers have the first opportunity for these high-paying jobs.”
The DOL grants are funded by a portion of the $500 fee employers pay for each temporary foreign worker they hire with an H-1B visa. Employers have increasingly used the H-1B visa program as the demand for information technology grows. The visas are issued to highly skilled foreign workers who have college degrees. DOL’s grant to the Prince George’s Workforce Services Corp. in Landover, Md., based upon CWA’s proposal, will fund training for members of the community and for CWA members who are not eligible for reimbursement through plans the union has negotiated with employers.
“The proposal we submitted included training leading to cabling certifications, A+ computer technology, and Cisco Network Associate certifications for workers wanting to enter the industry, as well as existing workers,” said Paul Anderson, director of apprenticeship, benefits and training.
“Our proposal calls for spending about 50 percent of the grant in the D.C. metro area and 50 percent in Fremont, which serves the entire San Francisco Bay area,” Anderson said. “We will be incorporating our distance learning partners, Cisco Systems and Stanly Community College, in this effort. We have a two-year time period to deliver the training.”
CWA’s Washington, D.C. training center is about to graduate its first class of 16 computer technology technicians, placed in training through the community partner, said Steve Hill, CWA’s employment center and apprenticeship administrator. The Fremont center continually trains telecom apprentices referred through CWA’s multi-employer apprenticeship program.
More than 600 veterans and CWA members have registered for A+ and Cisco training, which will be delivered online but requires 16 hours of lab work per semester in one of four CWA training centers located in the District of Columbia and California.
“We have thousands of members in the Washington, D.C. and Bay areas who will be able to take advantage of this,” Hill said.