MOUNT VERNON, Ill. (Sept. 1)—The state of Illinois has awarded an $800,000 work force training grant to Continental Tire North America Inc.'s Mount Vernon plant.
The grant will be used to upgrade the skills of Conti's 2,070 workers in a variety of areas, including forklift operation, workplace safety and computer software training.
"We're here today to make an investment in a high-quality company with high-quality workers," said Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich. "Our state's world-class work force will continue to help Illinois companies compete and thrive on the global stage, as long as we provide them with the resources needed to stay on the cutting-edge."
The grant is part of the state's Employer Training Investment Program, which reimburses companies and organizations for up to 50 percent of the costs of employee training. ETIP has provided more than $1.5 million in grants over the past two years to Southern Illinois companies to boost the skills of nearly 6,000 workers.