Minnesota Bilingual Vocational Training Project. Final Report.

Organized in September, 1975, to facilitate the vocational training of limited English-speaking Latinos, the Minnesota Bilingual Vocational Training Project (MBVTP) was centered at St. Paul Technical-Vocational Institute. Staff included director, job specialists in charge of recruitment, programming, counseling retention, and job placement, and vocational teachers who developed a program of preparatory studies. Activities included (1) increasing Latino awareness of all possible occupational areas, (2) facilitating their admission into the training program of their choice, (3) remaining cognizant of the special characteristics that have previously prevented them from succeeding in vocational institutes and providing them with counseling and special support services to enable them to utilize existing training facilities and resources, thus insuring not only their recruitment, but also their successful completion of the program and subsequent job placement, and (4) mainstreaming the successful MBVTP into regular state programming within two years. During the two years more than 500 limited English-speaking Latinos have applied, more than 330 have been enrolled, 160 have entered preparatory programs, and nearly 200 have begun vocational training. So far 48 have also earned GEDs, and more than 40 have successfully completed training programs. Activities included inservice workshops for staff. An evaluation at the end of the first year (including five questionnaires for students and two for staff) showed that all were satisfied with the project and hoped it would continue. At the end of the eighteen-month federal funding period, the project was continued using state funds. (JT)

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