Pinellas County Commission Chairman

*** NEWS RELEASE ***

US Secretary of Labor, Elaine L. Chao, National Director of the Office of Job Corps Esther R. Johnson and Congressman C.W. “Bill” Young joined Pinellas County Commission Chairman Robert B. Stewart and St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Baker at the Groundbreaking Ceremony for the Pinellas County Job Corps Center, located in the Dome Industrial Park Project in St. Petersburg.

“As a community, we’ve worked diligently for almost a decade to establish this Pinellas County Job Corps Center for our young people. The opportunities for bright futures and the career training it will provide for our kids will be the culmination of our efforts,” said Chairman Stewart.

“From the beginning, the support we’ve received from the citizens, neighbors, educators and the business community has allowed us to make this dream a reality.  This Job Corps campus will allow our kids to improve their lives, here, in St. Petersburg, and our local employers to hire our talented local Job Corps graduates.”

The Center is scheduled to begin construction soon and should near completion in the summer of 2009. Designated by the U.S. Secretary of Labor as an official Job Corps site, the federally funded center will house 300 students and will provide academic and career technical training, as well as high school and General Equivalency Diploma programs. The commitment of federal resources will be a significant investment in Midtown St. Petersburg and includes the $40 million Pinellas County Job Corps Center Campus and a contribution of $7 million annually to the local economy. The Job Corps center will create more than 100 permanent jobs for staff and faculty once it is up and running.

“It truly is another great day in St. Petersburg,” said Mayor Rick Baker. “We have worked for a number of years on this project, which will be extremely significant for the future of our city. This critical site is not only a key bridge geographically between downtown and midtown. It will also be a critical bridge for hundreds of youth who will transform their lives at this Job Corps site.”

This site was selected based on the strong community support and excellent links with state and local agencies, colleges, the local school districts and civic groups. The Job Corps project is made possible through partnerships that include Pinellas County, City of St. Petersburg, St. Petersburg College, WorkNet Pinellas, Pinellas County School Board and Pinellas Technical Education Centers, BayCare Health System and Brighthouse Networks.

###

For more information, contact:

Commissioner Robert Stewart, phone: (727) 464-3363

Pinellas County Commission Chairman

or

Beth Herendeen, phone: (727) 893-7465
City of St. Petersburg