A r c h i v e d I n f o r m a t i o n

     FOR  RELEASE   September 24, 1996      Contacts:       U.S. Dept. of Labor      U.S. Dept. of Education      Diane Quinn                  Ivette Rodriguez            (202) 219-8211              (202) 401-1576                  School-to-Work Office   Nancy Mathis   (202) 401-6222

Education, Labor Award $685,000 in School-to-Work American Indian and Alaska Native Grants

Youth from American Indian and Alaska Native communities will benefit from more than $685,000 in grants announced today by the U.S. Departments of Education and Labor, that will bring school to work opportunities to tribal youth growing up in geographically isolated and economically challenged communities. The grants will be used to provide academic opportunities, workplace readiness and career awareness experiences for American Indian and Alaska Native students who may have difficulty entering the job market, acquiring postsecondary education and training, or gaining access to entrepreneurial activities.

These competitive awards represent the second round of grants made under the School to Work initiative designed to meet the specific needs of American Indian and Alaska Native youth. The initial awards, totaling $593,000, went to nine education, business, labor and tribal partnerships in 1995.

"These grants provide students in isolated areas with access to the education, career exploration and life skills experiences they will need to make the transition from the classroom to careers," said U.S. Secretary of Education Richard W. Riley. "I am committed to providing all our children with these opportunities."

Secretary of Labor Robert B. Reich said, "Bridging the gap between school and the world of work is important for all our youth. I am pleased that the School to Work initiative is able to provide this assistance to American Indian and Alaska native youth to meet the special needs of their communities."

Under this year's competition, nine partnerships involving tribal organizations, local and tribal employers, and schools assisted by the U.S. Department of Interior's Bureau of Indian Affairs have won competitive School to Work "development" and "implementation" grants.

Development grants provide funds for activities such as the promotion of community plans for comprehensive school to work partnerships, curriculum that connects school with the workplace, and additional training for teachers and worksite mentors.

Development grant recipients are:

Minnesota: Independent School District #38
North Dakota: Belcort School District #7
Wisconsin: Milwaukee Area American Indian Manpower Council

Implementation grants provide funds to foster school to work systems already in place, or to support activities that would help put school to work plans into motion. Examples of those activities include recruiting and helping employers who would provide worksite learning opportunities, promoting methods of increasing career awareness, providing training for teachers, employers, mentors and counselors, and helping tribal organizations deal with connected issues such as transportation, health care and day care. Implementation grants have been awarded to the following partnerships:

Alaska: Chugach School District
Arizona: Tolchii' Kooh Charter School
Minnesota: Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe
New Mexico: University of New Mexico at Gallup
Utah: Utah Navajo Development Council
Wyoming: St. Stephen's Indian School Educational Association, Inc.

The School to Work Opportunities Act was established to broaden educational and career opportunities for all students by supporting partnerships among business and educational institutions and community organizations at state and local levels.

Since the inception of the School to Work Opportunities Act, every state has received a development grant of between $200,000 and $750,000 to create a comprehensive, statewide plan to encourage partnerships among employers, labor, education, government and community organizations; design challenging curricula; and support local planning and development activities.

When states have completed their plans, they may compete for implementation grants to help set their plans in motion by recruiting and providing assistance to employers in providing work based learning opportunities for students, providing training for teachers, employers, workplace mentors and counselors, or working with localities to recruit and retain students.

Communities may also compete for local partnership grants to support efforts that bring together employers, public secondary and postsecondary institutions, labor organizations and community groups.

Finally, in addition to the American Indian and Alaska Native Grants, the School to Work Opportunities Act also provides for Urban/Rural Opportunities Grants designed to serve the needs of youth in high poverty areas.

-###-