Chicago group wins $2.7 million fed grant for Austin high school

Updated…

As President Barack Obama on Monday talked about how to “rethink the high school experience for America’s youth” in suburban Maryland, in connection with the event the White House announced Chicago’s Manufacturing Renaissance organization won a $2,670,909 “CareerConnect” federal grant. In Chicago, Mayor Rahm Emanuel said the funds will go to the Austin Polytechnical Academy High School on the city’s West Side.

Manufacturing Renaissance staffs and operates the career program at the Austin school.

City Hall said in a statement, “This federal investment will boost the learning opportunities available through Austin Polytechnical Academy’s Manufacturing Careers & College Connect (MCCC) program, a unique college and career model and partnership between Austin Polytechnical Academy and Chicago Public Schools, local manufacturers, the Chicago Teachers’ Union, and the local Austin community. MCCC has the support of over a dozen key manufacturing employers that employ hundreds of people and have high-skilled jobs going unfilled. This initiative represents a full partnership between Manufacturing Renaissance, Chicago Federation of Labor, Chicago Public Schools, City Colleges of Chicago, the Chicago/Cook Workforce Partnership, the Chicago Workforce Funders Alliance, and local manufacturing companies.”

Sen. Dick Durbin D-Ill. said in a statement, the “Manufacturing Careers & College Connect (MCCC) Program in Chicago, Illinois – led by Manufacturing Renaissance, in partnership with Chicago Public Schools, the Chicago Cook Workforce Partnership, Daley College, and local employers – has received a $2,670,909 federal grant through the Department of Labor’s Youth CareerConnect Program.This federal funding is a direct investment in our students, our schools, and our economy,” Durbin said. “By expanding opportunities for students to grow their skills and connect with local employers, this program will help ensure that they have the education, training, and connections to find jobs in growing and in-demand industries.”