FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 18, 2009
Contact: Senator Levin’s Office
Phone: 202.224.6221
Levin Announces Funding for Labor Market Study on Displaced Autoworkers
Funds Made Available by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act
WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich., announced $4 million for a study on displaced autoworkers to analyze changes in the auto industry and identify retraining opportunities to adapt to green jobs.
The funds, to be split by Michigan, Ohio and Indiana, are part of the U.S. Department of Labor’s State Labor Market Information Improvement grant program which aims to support the analysis of labor market data to assess economic activity in energy efficiency and renewable energy industries and identify occupations and skill requirements within those industries. The funding was made available through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
“Just as Michigan was the manufacturing leader of the 20th century, it can be the leader in green jobs and manufacturing in the 21st,” Levin said. “This study and other programs like it will show that Michigan’s strong workforce can serve as the foundation for a clean energy economy the whole country will benefit from.”
The funding will be shared by state agencies in the three states, including the Michigan Department of Energy, Labor and Economic Growth. The priorities of the study will be to:
• Characterize the structural transformation from the “old” auto industry to the “new” and identify new skills and training requirements
• Identify the auto parts supply chain impacts of the auto industry structure transformation
• Identify alternative career path opportunities for dislocated auto parts workers for jobs in demand with an emphasis on those in the green economy; and
• Identify current and projected skill gaps of the auto and auto parts workforce and required training needed to compete for jobs in demand and green job opportunities.
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