Nixon announces job training program expansion

Gov. Jay Nixon was in Springfield Tuesday morning to announce a $12 million training program designed to get Missouri workers into high-tech and growing industries.

Grants through the Training for Tomorrow program will help Missouri community colleges create or expand training programs to serve more students, the governor announced during a Tuesday morning visit to Ozarks Technical Community College.

In the program, members of the Missouri Community College Association will partner with their county governments to apply for grant money to expand or develop training programs in technical fields. The program targets jobs such as veterinary and pharmacy technicians, nursing aides and skilled craftsmen.

"To turn this economy around, more Missourians need access to training programs in high-tech, high-demand fields," Nixon said in a news release. "Especially in growing industries like health care, technical training beyond high school is absolutely vital, but many of our community colleges simply don't have the equipment, instructors or resources to meet the needs of Missouri's workers."

Community colleges applying for grant funds will be required to complete a series of steps, including outlining their plans to expand training capacity, detailing market demand, identifying industry partners who can help design programs, and showing that the training expansion will create paths to specific high-demand careers in the area.

Application materials are available online at the state Web site, www.mo.gov, by searching for Training for Tomorrow. Applications are due Feb. 15, 2010.

Nixon will offer additional information about the program this afternoon during a visit to Moberly Area Community College.