St Louis Agency On Training And Employment (SLATE) Pledges To Skill Up 500 People In 100 Days

St. Louis Agency on Training and Employment (SLATE) announced today an effort to train or certify 500 St. Louis residents in 100 days. The program, called Skill Up STL will begin on October 1 and go through December 30, 2017.

“As the nature of work continues to change at an accelerated pace, the workforce will need new skills to meet the challenges at all levels of education,” says Dr. Alice Prince, Executive Director of SLATE. “It is estimated that nearly 30,000 job openings per year will require an industry-recognized certificate/certification in addition to a high school diploma.”

Skill Up STL’s goal is to graduate:

• 125 people from pre-apprentice programs
• 125 from technology skills programs
• 125 from healthcare certification programs
• 75 people from entrepreneurship programs
• 50 people from GED/High School Diploma programs

“We set these goals by aligning our knowledge of future projected employer demand and current and future workforce/talent supply,” continued Dr. Prince.

“Making sure that people have the skills necessary to broaden their career options and increase their earning potential is a great role for the city to play,” Mayor Lyda Krewson said. “I look forward to seeing those increased skills result in job placements at the end of the challenge.”

Partners in the Skill Up STL program are currently the NAACP, The Missouri Community Action Network (MOCAN), and YouthBuild. Anyone interested in partnering should contact SLATE.

SLATE is open Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. and is located at 1520 Market St., Room 3050, in downtown St. Louis. For more information on SLATE or the Skill Up St. Louis challenge, please visit the SLATE website at https://www.stlworks.com or call Dr. Alice Prince at 314-657-3575.

About St. Louis Agency on Training and Employment (SLATE)

SLATE offers job seekers and businesses a variety of no-cost services related to employment, job training, and career advancement. SLATE is the driving force of Workforce Development in the City of St. Louis, focused on in-demand occupations, emerging occupations applicable to the St. Louis area, and designing effective strategies to ensure that all communities have clear access to the industries that will create a strong talent pipeline for St. Louis.