Milwaukee, WI (July 25, 2006) - Manpower received a 2006 Recognition of Excellence Award from the U.S. Department of Labor´s Employment and Training Administration for its workforce development program, TechReach Albuquerque. The award recognizes state and local initiatives that demonstrate innovation, collaboration, quality performance, linkages to business, education and community needs, and the ability to be replicated. Manpower won its award in the "e3" partnership category, which acknowledges public-private partnerships facilitating employment, education and economic development.
TechReach is Manpower´s training, certification and placement initiative that targets individuals who are unemployed or underemployed. Based on collaboration with community and employer partners, TechReach provides work-ready, qualified job candidates to fill the needs of local employers. In Albuquerque, TechReach students receive training and certification in one of the area´s fastest-growing industry segments, electronic assembly.
"Winning the Recognition of Excellence Award is a great honor and reflects Manpower´s deep commitment to helping people with barriers to employment find work," said Melanie Holmes, Vice President, Corporate Affairs-North America. "Manpower has a long tradition of developing creative and effective workforce development initiatives, and TechReach Albuquerque is a practical approach that works extremely well."
Jeff Parker, Regional Director for Manpower´s staffing and professional operations in Albuquerque, said, "The main goal of the program is to help individuals facing economic and educational disadvantages quickly achieve financial independence and establish a base of skills for career advancement. In addition, the program establishes a pipeline of skilled electronic assembly job candidates for employers in this high-demand industry segment."
TechReach Albuquerque consists of qualification, pre- and post-assessment and 186 hours of classroom and hands-on training, which includes soft-skills preparation in areas such as job interviewing, resume writing and quality customer service.
Parker credited the special expertise of several organizations for TechReach Albuquerque´s success. Central New Mexico Community College provides electronic assembly training, Albuquerque Economic Development provides program advocacy and awareness building and Workforce Connection of Central New Mexico provides funding. The Employers Disability Resource, the State of Mexico´s Department of Rehabilitation and the Department of Veterans Affairs recruit students. Manpower also handles student recruitment as well as job readiness training, pre- and post-assessment and job placement with Albuquerque area employers.
Students are recruited from a diverse population; the most recent training cycle were individuals with varying degrees of hearing impairments. Other recruits include at-risk youth, veterans and dislocated workers from Native American, Hispanic and African-American ethnic minority groups. Nearly all of the 48 individuals who have completed the program now hold electronic assembly jobs.
"The Department of Labor´s acknowledgement of TechReach Albuquerque reinforces how Manpower and its partners have created and implemented a unique program that combines all of the necessary elements to assist those most in need of finding rewarding employment," Parker said. "The program not only strengthens the local economy by identifying and filling needed jobs, but also builds the community by empowering people with the tools to overcome barriers to employment, such as lack of relevant skills and workplace experience. TechReach is a prototype for what local community partners can achieve together that would not be possible on an individual level."
About Manpower Inc.
Manpower Inc. (NYSE: MAN) is a world leader in the employment services industry; creating and delivering services that enable its clients to win in the changing world of work. The $16 billion company offers employers a range of services for the entire employment and business cycle including permanent, temporary and contract recruitment; employee assessment and selection; training; outplacement; outsourcing and consulting. Manpower's worldwide network of 4,400 offices in 72 countries and territories enables the company to meet the needs of its 400,000 customers per year, including small and medium size enterprises in all industry sectors, as well as the world's largest multinational corporations. The focus of Manpower's work is on raising productivity through improved quality, efficiency and cost-reduction across their total workforce, enabling clients to concentrate on their core business activities. Manpower Inc. operates under five brands: Manpower, Manpower Professional, Elan, Jefferson Wells and Right Management. More information on Manpower Inc. is available at www.manpower.com and www.us.manpower.com.