Leahy Secures $4 Million For Vermont Workforce Development Projects
US Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) announced Tuesday that Vermont will receive $4,068,000 for several adult and youth workforce development programs across the state. Leahy, a senior member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, secured the funds in the annual appropriations bill passed by the Congress signed into law by President Obama earlier this month.Leahy said, Training and practical experience can turn the liability of unemployment and underemployment into assets, turning lives around and planting the seeds for the economic future we want for our state. With the economy in peril and joblessness on the rise, there is even greater urgency in training Vermont s youth and retraining underemployed workers for the jobs of tomorrow. These investments will support organizations around Vermont that have been forward thinking about our state s workforce development needs, training Vermonters for solid job opportunities right here at home.[Project details and local contacts, below]Burlington Technical Center to expand the aviation training program — $1 million –This project will upgrade and improve the post-secondary aviation program at the Burlington Technical Center. The program, which currently leads to FAA Airframe and Powerplant licenses for the tech center students, is only able to serve 12 students at a time. Since these high-skills, high-wage jobs are in great demand in Vermont and across the nation, additional funding would allow the tech center to expand its current curriculum, faculty, training equipment, and facilities. Over the next 20 years, an estimated $225 million in new federal, state, local, and private investment is expected to be made at the Burlington International Airport, creating 365 new jobs at the airport and 500 indirect jobs elsewhere in the Vermont. Since this tech center program is the only one of its type in Vermont, the center s expansion project will increase its capacity to train Vermonters for high-skill, high-wage jobs, which will help keep Vermont s bright, young technicians contributing to the Vermont economy. Contact: Richard Sylvester, Director of Aviation Technology, 802-864-8447Vermont HITEC to conduct health care and advanced manufacturing job training — $951,000 –Vermont HITEC will train Vermonters with aptitudes and strong interest in information technology positions in the healthcare and advanced manufacturing fields. Vermont HITEC will identify a pool of unemployed and underemployed Vermonters and develop education and training curricula leading directly to filling vacant positions with pre-selected employers. This is an ongoing collaborative project among educators, employers and economic development partners at the federal, state, and local levels of Vermont. Employers providing strong support include Fletcher Allen Heath Care of Burlington; NSA Industries of Lyndonville; Weidmann Electrical Technology of St. Johnsbury; Vermont Mold & Tool of Barnet; Precision Composites of Vermont in Lyndon Center; North East Precision of St. Johnsbury; and North Hartland Tool of North Hartland.Contact: Gerry Ghazi, President, 802-872-0660Vermont Agency of Human Services to develop a comprehensive employment-focused neuro-resource facilitation system — $951,000 –The Vermont Agency of Human Services will establish a statewide Neuro-Resource Facilitation (NRF) System to support the employment and independence of Vermont’s veterans with Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBI) and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) returning from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Neuro-Resource Facilitation is an approach that will help veterans with TBI/PTSD and their families access information, community resources and benefits. With oversight provided by the Brain Injury Association of Vermont (BIA-VT), Vermont s NRF system will include partnerships with the Department of Mental Health (DMH), the State TBI program, the Aging Disability and Resource Centers (ADRC), and the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation (DVR). Services will also be established in collaboration with a wide variety of veterans services including the National Guard and the Veterans Administration. Vermont s NRF system is unique in its focus on employment and will provide education and support to Vermont businesses on the issues facing veterans with disabilities and about the valuable human resource they represent. Education, as well as placement support, will be provided by the Vermont Association for Business, Industry, and Rehabilitation (VABIR). Contact: Glen McClintock, Vermont Agency of Human Services, 802-241-3719Linking Learning to Life to provide job training and internship opportunities to Vermont youth — $500,000 –This project will help Linking Learning to Life expand and replicate two vital programs that encourage at-risk, high school age Vermont youths to stay in school and prepare for successful employment and post-secondary education. Linking Learning to Life will be working with schools, communities and Workforce Investment Boards throughout Vermont on these programs.The Training Interns and Partnering for Success (TIPS) Program is designed to transition students with limited employability skills through three stages of preparation leading to successful unsubsidized employment: (1) 20 hours of pre-employment skills training; (2) 40 hours of on-site internship training; and (3) competitive employment with the internship host employer during the summer following the internship. The College Connections Program offers at-risk sophomores, juniors, and seniors from high schools and young people from alternative programs options for exploring post-secondary education prior to graduation. Students can take classes at any of six area colleges and earn both high school and college credit for successful completion. The program targets students meeting one or more of the following criteria: first generation college goers, English as a Second Language learners, minority students, those from low-income families, and students with identified disabilities. Contact: Rich Tulikangas, Executive Director, 802-951-8850ReCycle North to expand its green construction training and expand its weatherization program — $476,000 –ReCycle North s YouthBuild program trains 16- to 24-year-old youths who are economically disadvantaged, have dropped out of high school, and need comprehensive development and job training opportunities. To meet the growing demand for workers trained in green construction and weatherization and provide weatherization services to low- and moderate-income Vermonters, ReCycle North will expand its apprentice-style, green construction and weatherization training. ReCycle North s weatherization service contracts currently with Champlain Valley Office of Economic Opportunity to complete weatherization services in Chittenden County and expects to begin contracting with Central Vermont Community Action to complete weatherization work in Central Vermont. Through training in Energy Star construction and weatherization techniques, several students each year will be able to fill the growing demand for professionals in the weatherization field. Through ReCycle North s new Green Construction Training and Weatherization Service Program, at least 15 buildings in year one, 18 buildings in year two, and 30 buildings in year three will become significantly more comfortable, affordable, and efficient in terms of energy consumed and carbon emitted. In addition, ReCycle North will expand its YouthBuild and apprentice-style training programs to include HVAC services and apprentice-style training in deconstruction and Waste-Not-Products. The Deconstruction Service is a viable alternative to traditional demolition methods and creates jobs and training opportunities, harvests reusable building materials, and diverts from the waste stream unusable but recyclable materials such as metal and concrete into environmentally friendly channels. Waste-Not-Products is a growing enterprise that creates social and financial value from material resources that are otherwise wasted. Training people to design, manufacture, and market attractive new products from construction waste leverages existing assets, relationships, and capabilities and prepares students for skilled jobs. Contact: Thomas Longstreth, Executive Director, 802-658-4143 x14Vermont Association of Business, Industry & Rehabilitation to support youth and offender reentry employment programs — $190,000 –The Vermont Association of Business, Industry & Rehabilitation (VABIR) is a statewide non-profit agency that provides employment services to people with barriers to employment including persons with disabilities, youths and other at-risk workforce populations. VABIR also provides free consultation services to businesses. Since studies have shown that finding a job is often the key to a person’s ability to maintain a place in the community, the VABIR project will support youth and offender reentry workers in locating, obtaining, and maintaining employment, by providing direct and support services that will network with local businesses to secure employment opportunities. VABIR will partner with local and state agencies to work together in this project, including VocRehab Vermont, the Vermont Department of Corrections, and local community justice centers. Participants in the program will gain work experience through VABIR direct job placement and support in a variety of areas, including mentoring opportunities, job shadows, job tours, short-term work experiences, volunteer work, and ultimately in successfully obtaining employment.Contact: Christine McCarthy, Executive Director, 802-878-1107(TUESDAY, March 31) —
Facebook Twitter Google+ As training camp winds down, classes begin and Syracuse’s first opponent looms, tensions are high on Scott Shafer’s team. And he likes it that way.“I know the anxiety of the kids is high, in a good way, that they just look forward to getting out there and starting to play football, hit somebody other than each other,”he said in Tuesday’s teleconference.Syracuse begins the season against Villanova on Friday at 7:30 p.m. in the Carrier Dome. With the first game of his second season at the helm just three days away, Shafer touched on his desire to simplify ahead of the opener, the freshmen that battled their way up his depth chart and how defensive coordinator Chuck Bullough’s unit prepares for Villanova’s non-traditional offense.The freshest of menThree true freshmen battled their way into Syracuse’s two-deep defensive depth chart during training camp.AdvertisementThis is placeholder textThe Orange released its updated pecking order Monday and Parris Bennett, Zaire Franklin and Juwan Dowels all cracked the second-string defense. Winning camp battles for roster spots gave them a chance to debut or even feature in Friday’s opener against the Wildcats, depending on how the game unfolds, Shafer said.“What factored into the decision is they beat out the guy in front of them,”he said. “It’s as simple as that — three very mature young men that love to play the game.”Bennett will back up Cameron Lynch at outside linebacker, Zaire Franklin is behind Marqez Hodge in the middle linebacker spot and Juwan Dowels sits behind Brandon Reddish at cornerback.“I feel good about all three of those young men playing for us Friday night,”Shafer said.Keep it simple, SyracuseAbout 12:15 p.m. Tuesday was time for Shafer to clean out his office, to throw away what he didn’t need.“I’m going to be cleaning up my office, throwing away a bunch of stuff, trying to get to a minimalist approach, which is really the same game plan we have,”he said.Some calm before the season opening storm, Shafer said, is needed, both for himself and his players.They’ve practiced all summer with each other. Preparation has heightened nerves and Shafer hardly minds.“A lot of nervous energy,”he said, “which is good.”It’s just defenseVillanova runs an atypical offense with a set of “influence”plays in which the Wildcats will leave a defensive tackle unblocked and run around him —similar to the way other zone-read or triple-option attacks treat defensive ends, Shafer said Saturday.But the Orange head coach said he isn’t talking to his players any differently in preparation. He just wants them to stay aggressive, recover from any unusual plays Villanova may pull off and stick to the basic defensive principles of sticking to assignments and knocking opponents backward.“The big thing is if we get something that’s whacky that we’ve never seen before, we try to cover it down and play sound defense,”Shafer said. “If they get one on us, we’ve got to brush it off and go to the next play. That’s got to be the mind-set when you’re playing in a game like this.”Shafer said he told his players to make sure the Orange’s Football Championship Subdivision opponent isn’t capitalizing on Syracuse’s mistakes, but earning whatever yards it gets in the Carrier Dome.“The thing I like to talk to the defense about is earned plays,” Shafer, SU’s former defensive coordinator, said. “… but we’re not going to take away from our aggressive style on defense, but I think Coach Bullough and the rest of the defensive staff — they have the boys ready to play.” Comments Published on August 26, 2014 at 1:35 pm Contact Jacob: jmklinge@syr.edu | @Jacob_Klinger_
5 REVEALED ADVICE REPLY Three and a half years. That is how long has passed since the last time Barcelona and Real Madrid lost on the same La Liga matchday.On that occasion, with Madrid playing Valencia and Barça away at their least favourite ground the Anoeta, it wasn’t an unthinkable outcome. On Wednesday, with the Blaugrana dropping three points to Leganes, the team at the bottom of the table, the latest tandem of defeats was far more unexpected. If things were bad for Barcelona then they also proved to be pretty awful for Madrid. Julen Lopetegui had more than enough forewarning of how difficult it is for Los Blancos at the Ramon Sánchez Pizjuán: prior to last night they had lost five of the last six league trips to the stadium. That record now stands at six defeats in seven, and the manner in which it played out was unforgivable.Cut open with ease and at will in the first half, Madrid looked a shadow of the side that had started the league campaign with so much aggression and fluidity in their early games. Sevilla regularly overloaded them in the attack, and Lopetegui was unable to find a response to Pablo Machin’s use of aggressive wing-backs just as his predecessor Zinedine Zidane had failed to do so in defeat to Machin’s Girona last season. Within 16 minutes André Silva had scored the opener, within 20 the second, and Ben Yedder’s composed finish just before the break ensured the visitors were three goals down and staring into the abyss by half-time. They never recovered. There is no love lost between Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid 5 In his post-match interviews Lopetegui claimed Madrid improved in the second half, but considering how poor they had been in the first that wasn’t saying much. The manner in which they crumbled, along with Barcelona’s own paper-thin resolve, meant Wednesday ended an awful night for two would-be champions and an excellent one for the other.Atlético Madrid, who had already played 24 hours earlier on Tuesday, got their work done with minimal fuss. The Colchoneros downed Huesca 3-0 with one of their most assured performances in months, so Diego Simeone was able to watch with a smile one night later as his rivals handed him a huge opportunity. Top nine Premier League free transfers of the decade BEST OF Where Ancelotti ranks with every Premier League boss for trophies won RANKED huge blow no dice REVEALED Every time Ally McCoist lost it on air in 2019, including funny XI reactions Ronaldo warned Lukaku how hard scoring goals in Serie A would be before Inter move Sevilla took all three points in their league game against Real Madrid 
MONEY 5 England’s most successful clubs of the past decade, according to trophies won After the 2-1 defeat, manager Ernesto Valverde spoke of everything coming undone in the space of a minute, and it is that lack of concentration that will concern him most. Barcelona were ahead thanks to a wonderful strike from Philippe Coutinho but looked fragile, conceding space in dangerous areas and inviting danger. It took just a minute between El Zhar’s equalizer and Óscar’s winner for the home team, and the defending was not fit for aspiring league champions. Thomas Vermaelen’s passiveness aided the first Leganés goal, while Gerard Piqué’s unintended pass ‘assisted’ the second.“The players were paralyzed, without quality or aggression or soul,” was the scathing verdict from veteran El Pais columnist Ramon Besa. “No one at Barça gets away from this embarrassment,” he added for good measure. Forbes list reveals how much Mayweather, Ronaldo and Messi earned this decade Diego Simeone will have been happy watching both Real Madrid and Barcelona lose Son ban confirmed as Tottenham fail with appeal to overturn red card Oxlade-Chamberlain suffers another setback as Klopp confirms serious injury With seven scored in their last three games, Atleti appear to have found some much sought-after form in front of goal. Two clean sheets in two will also give necessary confidence to a defence that had looked uncharacteristically shaky since the summer.The timing couldn’t be better. This weekend Atlético travel to the Santiago Bernabeu for the first Madrid derby of the league season, and a win would see them leapfrog their city rivals in the table. It could even see them leapfrog Barcelona and go top, should Valverde’s side stumble against his old club Athletic. At their best under Eduardo Berizzo the Basques have more than enough to cause problems for the Blaugrana, who will be sore from the embarrassment at Leganés. silverware Which teams do the best on Boxing Day in the Premier League era? Madrid derbies are always huge but this one feels particularly defining for the course of the season. Only a few weeks ago it looked like Atlético had given up their opportunity to compete for the trophy, Simeone questioned for his mismanagement of the club’s best and most expensive ever squad. Back then, Madrid were cruising, their new more possession-based approach under Lopetegui painting them as the most convincing contenders for the league title.Now, Los Blancos look soft, and El Cholo can surely smell blood. Barcelona look tender too. Three title challenges, one weekend, one huge derby. Pique’s mistake allowed Leganes to capitalise and take all three points from Barcelona 5 Most popular football news 5 Berahino hits back at b******t Johnson criticism – ‘I was in a dark place at Stoke’
Things didn’t go so well for the first planned rollout for Google’s Project Ara phones. They’re ready to give it another go, however, and you’ll be able to get your first modular phone from the Big G very soon.Google’s ATAP (Advanced Technology and Projects) group excitedly showed off their latest Project Ara hardware at I/O 2016. It’s no longer an ATAP project, of course. Project Ara has graduated and is about to make its way outside Google’s campus. but how soon will that happen?Developer units are scheduled to begin shipping this fall. That should give people plenty of time to create interesting Project Ara modules and experiences before the consumer version rolls out sometime in 2017. On the first Ara phones, there will be slots for six modules. One particularly neat module they showed off today: a small e-Ink display that lets you see widget-style info on the back of your phone.The new Ara prototype has come a long way. For starters, it seems to have fixed that annoying little issue where the modules popped out if you happened to drop the phone. Google also made a rather amazing tweak to the module-swapping process: you can now say “Okay Google, eject the camera” and Ara will disable the device and then pop one side loose so that you can remove it completely.You can almost hear her singing “AH ZABENYA!”Just think, the next time you upgrade your phone could be the last time you ever upgrade your entire phone in one shot. Once you have a Project Ara device, you’ll be able to upgrade individual modules whenever one component dies or no longer meets your needs.