| Phoenix College in Phoenix, Arizona, will use its Hispanic-Serving Institutions Assisting Communities (HSIAC) grant to initiate the Career Training and Employment Program (CTEP). It is a consortium designed to provide economic development opportunities to public housing residents and other low-income individuals in specific target areas within South-Central Phoenix and South Chandler. Services will be provided in three locations: Chicanos Por La Causa, serving residents of City of Phoenix Public Housing areas Marcos De Niza and Mathew Henson; Coffelt Community Center, serving residents of Maricopa County Public Housing; and the Family Investment Center, serving residents of Chandler Public Housing. The program will provide occupational training, leadership academies, computer labs, and job, education, and housing-related activities.
In partnership with Phoenix College are South Mountain Community College and Mesa Community College, which together form the Maricopa County Community College District (MCCCD), the largest single provider of higher education in Arizona. The MCCCD institutions were designed to provide "neighborhood" colleges through developmental education and economic initiatives with community organizations, and they work collaboratively to build workforce development services within their areas that keep the economy vital in a globally competitive world. Other partners include Maricopa County Public Housing, City of Phoenix Public Housing, City of Chandler Public Housing, and the Arizona Department of Economic Security. There are numerous private partners as well, including community-based organizations-WYSR (Women and Youth for Self-Reliance) Academy, Inc.; Valley Christian Centers, Inc.; the Arizona Hispanic Community Forum; and the Arizona Opportunities Industrialization Center-and private employers.
Because of its rapid growth, Phoenix has attracted large numbers of young families in search of economic betterment. Despite the prosperity, a number of these families have been left out of the high wage job market. Good jobs with adequate incomes increasingly require skills and education that some residents lack. Phoenix and South Mountain Community Colleges' service areas are characterized by a relatively young, predominantly minority population, with a significant number of households living below the poverty line (50-75 percent). Over time, employment growth has moved away from the central city while population density is concentrated in areas immediately adjacent to the central core, geographically juxtapositioned between Phoenix College and South Mountain Community College. This area is in the heart of Phoenix's Enterprise Zone/Enterprise Community (EZ/EC). Mesa Community College's service area includes Chandler, located outside Phoenix. Most of the project's activities will occur within Phoenix's EZ/EC zone.
The target population is characterized by low socio-economic status, with over 95 percent falling below federal poverty guidelines; low educational attainment, with high school graduation or GED rates from 18 to 34 percent; a predominantly Hispanic background; and language barriers-housing statistics show that as many as 90 percent are monolingual and Spanish speaking. In addition, unemployment rates in the service areas are as high as 88 percent. Resident needs assessment surveys reveal that child care and transportation are two of the most pressing needs faced by residents, while 70 percent of residents surveyed believe that they lack the occupational skills necessary to succeed. The proximity of the CTEP locations to the residents desiring to use them will help overcome the barrier created by lack of transportation; moreover, the sites were chosen in part due to their ability to provide child care to CTEP participants.
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