Shoreline Community College Set to Receive Record-Setting Grant From U.S. Labor Department

SEATTLE, Nov. 4 -- Assistant Secretary of Labor for Employment and Training Emily Stover DeRocco will award a record-setting grant to Shoreline Community College (SCC) this Friday, Nov. 5, 2004.

The grant, designated for the Auto Sales and Service Training Pathways Project (AS2TP), a public private partnership effort with Toyota Motor Sales, USA, will be awarded to SCC President Dr. Holly Moore at 1:30 p.m. in the Toyota Exhibit at the Seattle International Auto Show, which runs through Sunday at Qwest Field Event Center (formerly Seahawks Exhibition Center).

The two-year grant will fund a new curriculum for students with limited English proficiency, out-of-school youth and dislocated workers seeking retraining. "In terms of dollars per year, this is the largest grant in the history of the college," says SCC Dean of Business Automotive and Manufacturing Don Schultz. "Thanks to this grant, the AS2TP can impact the lives of 175 deserving students who otherwise may not have the opportunity to advance their careers."

The new curriculum, based on general service technician skill standards developed by the National Automotive Technicians Education Foundation (NATEF) will create an intermediate-level credential and training opportunity for students seeking entry-level work at auto dealerships and independent auto repair shops. The grant will also support the convening of a regional industry skills panel of Puget Sound auto sales and service businesses to discuss common workforce issues, map out career pathways and identify common skill upgrade training needs.

The AS2TP project has been created to define and develop auto sales and service industry professional education and training pathways that are accessible to all workers. The project is part of Shoreline Community College's Professional Automotive Training Center (PATC), the premier community college auto technician professional education program in the country. The PATC partners with five leading auto manufacturers -- Toyota, Honda, General Motors, DaimlerChrysler and Volvo -- and graduates 50 associate degree students annually. Because students are hired directly by their dealer- sponsors before beginning their training, the program enjoys a 100 percent placement rate.

Also scheduled to attend the presentation from Toyota Motor Sales USA are Assistant General Manager Kevin Cour; Customer Service Operations Manager David Nelson, and Field Operations Personnel Development Manager Richard Lester.