Grant to fund training

Memphis Bioworks Foundation receives $2.9 million award

The Commercial Appeal
Jan 27, 2010
By Pat Meeks, Special to My Life

Memphis Bioworks Foundation announced it has been awarded a $2.9 million Energy Training Partnership Grant under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act Green Jobs Training Program.

The two-year initiative will fund programs to train area workers for jobs in energy-efficiency and renewable energy occupations.

Memphis Bioworks Foundation is one of 25 award recipients across the U.S.

The grant will benefit a 26-county area of West Tennessee and Arkansas through training programs for higher education organizations, employers, training providers and workforce development agencies. In partnership with the Memphis Bioworks Foundation, key recipients include Dyersburg State Community College, Tennessee Local Workforce Investment Areas, the Eastern Arkansas Workforce Investment Area, Jackson State Community College, the University of Memphis BEST Program, Mid-South Community College, Seedco, Southwest Tennessee Community College and the National Electrical Contractors Association.

A renewable energy training program designed at Mid-South Community College will be used as a model for the development at colleges in West Tennessee. With the involvement and expertise of employers in the energy efficiency and renewable energy industries, local colleges will create models to train workers for jobs in emerging industry clusters, including the field of processing of bio-based products.

"We are pleased to partner with these highly-qualified educational institutions and employers in this effort to bring transformational training to the regional workforce," said Dr. Steven Bares, president and executive director, Memphis Bioworks Foundation.

The Memphis Bioworks Foundation is a not-for-profit organization, formed to lead the collaboration between public, private, academic and government entities to accelerate the growth of the bioscience industry in the region. For more information, visit memphisbioworks.org.

Pat Meeks is the executive director of Grants & Compliance for the Memphis Bioworks Business Association.