Students Prepare to Graduate from Recovery Act Funded Highway Worker Training Program
Monday, May 24, 2010 | 07:56am
MEMPHIS, Tenn. – After weeks of classes and on-the-job training, several students of the Tennessee Department of Transportation’s “Career Express…The Job Training Fast Lane” program are graduating. The program, which is operated by LeMoyne-Owen College Community Development Corporation (LOCCDC), is funded through a grant from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and is administered by TDOT’s Office of Civil Rights Division. The fourth graduating class of the Career Express Program will receive diplomas at a graduation ceremony at the newly opened Soulsville USA Towne Center on May 26, 2010. The Center is located at 915 East McLemore. The keynote speaker for the ceremony is the Honorable George Little, Chief Administrative Officer for the City of Memphis.
The Career Express Program provides on-the-job training to individuals for potential employment in highway construction related fields. The Memphis Regional Training Site is one of four training locations throughout the state by a community and/or faith-based local organization. The other sites and collaborative partners are: Fifteenth Avenue Baptist CDC (Nashville), New Millennium Services (Knoxville) and The Urban League of Greater Chattanooga.
During the past four years more than 502 people have participated in the Career Express Program with a placement rate over 70%. In 2009, that rate exceeded 80% statewide. While the composition of each class varies, the Memphis site’s current class is composed primarily of ex-offenders looking for a second chance, persons receiving public assistance who are looking to find employment to take care of their family, or individuals who have lost their jobs during the economic downturn and are looking to maintain a way of life.
“The Career Express Program is a positive example of President Obama’s Recovery funds at work,” said Jeffrey Higgs, Executive Director of LOCCDC. “This is one of the few programs statewide that has given recipients of Tennessee Assistance for Needy Families, high school drop-outs, and ex-offenders, an opportunity to receive classroom and on-site training for possible entry into the highway construction and related fields.”
For more information, please contact C. Joy Turner at 901-672-8420 ext. 8.
What: Memphis Site 2010 ARRA Class Graduation
When: May 26, 2010 from 10:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
Where: SoulsvilleUSA Towne Center, 915 East McLemore
Who: Honorable George Little, Chief Administrative Officer for the City of Memphis