Grand Rapids Business Journal Courtesy Literacy Center of West Michigan
The Literacy Center of West Michigan has moved to the second phase of a $750,000 U.S. Department of Education challenge to advance pre-apprenticeship programs for adults.
The Grand Rapids-based nonprofit said Thursday, Jan. 14, it was named as a finalist in the U.S. Department of Education’s Rethink Adult Education Challenge, a national competition. The Literacy Center’s proposal creates a career pathway for Latinas to enter the mechanical, electrical and plumbing trades by providing English instruction, workplace readiness and skills training.
“The mechanical trades train and employ primarily men, and the vast majority of these men are white,” said Wendy Falb, executive director, Literacy Center of West Michigan. “With construction representing the seventh-highest share of employment in West Michigan and a significant number of Latinas impacted by pandemic-related unemployment in the servic
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TOWNSHEND â Air system work, which caused delayed returns to in-person instruction at schools in the West River Education District, is wrapping up.
âWest River is about 90 percent complete from the original project scope that we started with about four months ago,â Chris Medina, director of operations at Windham Central Supervisory Union, said at the West River Education District board meeting held remotely Dec. 21.
Medina said during a project meeting with Alliance Mechanical about a week prior to the board meeting, he learned about eight members of a service installation team were under quarantine for COVID-19 or sick at the time. A deadline extension for the project was approved by Efficiency Vermont so the district would still be eligible for grant funding.