SCF and Suncoast Workforce Partner on Manufacturing Education Grant

(Bradenton, Fla., December 6, 2011) — State College of Florida, Manatee-Sarasota (SCF) and Suncoast Workforce are proud to announce that they are partnering on the Engineering, Technology, and Advanced Manufacturing (ETAM) grant project. 

Funded by the U.S. Department of Labor, ETAM includes a three-college consortium and local workforce agencies to build workforce development solutions that can be deployed in both the education and training environments. Academic partners are SCF, Polk State College and Tallahassee Community College.

Educational modules created under the grant will be aligned with courses in the Associate in Science in Engineering Technology degree program and formatted so they can be used either in credit or noncredit delivery. Noncredit courses will be delivered by SCF’s Corporate and Community Development Division and Suncoast Workforce for customized incumbent worker training and entry-level unemployed and underemployed workforce training. 

"The ETAM project will further strengthen the partnership between Suncoast Workforce and SCF to train people for careers in manufacturing and technology," said Glenn Goonis, SCF manufacturing education grants coordinator and ETAM project manager. "This project will support development of workforce and technical skills needed to boost economic recovery and growth in our two-county region." 

The goal of the ETAM project is to reach out to more than 350 unemployed and underemployed persons over the next two years. To accomplish this goal, Suncoast Workforce has a dedicated career specialist, Joe Doss, who will provide recruitment, eligibility screening, referral and scheduling, assessment services, job readiness assistance, job placement assistance and job retention support. 

“We are excited about the opportunity to expand our partnership with SCF by providing an additional opportunity for area job seekers to receive training that will increase their overall marketability,” said Mary Helen Kress, president and CEO of Suncoast Workforce. “Under the partnership, our collective efforts to focus on Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) areas of study will be enhanced.” 

For more information on the ETAM project, contact Glenn Goonis, SCF manufacturing education grants coordinator and ETAM project manager, at 941-363-7229 or goonisg@scf.edu.

For information about ETAM eligibility requirements and project employment services, contact Joe Doss, Suncoast Workforce career specialist, at 941-358-4200 ext. 3114 or ETAM@suncoastworkforce.org.