New Business Coalition and Henry Ford Community College Announce 21st Century Job Retraining Program

DETROIT, Feb. 9 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Today, a business coalition, formed by AT&T* (NYSE: T), including Capital Communications, Goodman Networks, Lineage Power, Quanta Services (NYSE: PWR) and Telecom Technicians, and Henry Ford Community College announced the creation of the Michigan Alliance for High-Tech Skills Training, an industry-led job retraining program that will be available to displaced workers and interested students in Michigan this year.

Henry Ford Community College, with assistance from the coalition's business leaders, will design a curriculum to develop core competencies and skills to retrain workers for 21st century jobs.  

"This program recognizes and will tap into the tremendous potential of the human capital we have in Michigan," said Governor Jennifer M. Granholm.  "This initiative will provide our workers the opportunity to learn the skills they will need to help grow the 21st century economy right here at home."  

The Michigan Alliance for High-Tech Skills Training program supports efforts by Governor Granholm and other Michigan leaders, as well as the Obama Administration, to engage businesses in the education and retraining of displaced workers.  

"As President Obama recognized when he announced the American Graduation Initiative right here in Michigan, our nation's community colleges will continue to play an even greater role in expanding economic opportunities to all individuals," said Dr. Gail Mee, Henry Ford Community College president.  "We are thrilled to have the opportunity to continue helping those here in Michigan who have been hit hardest by the struggling economy."  

"We know Michigan has an amazing workforce, and unfortunately too much of it is underutilized," said David G. O'Reilly, president of Capital Communications, Inc. based in Plymouth, Michigan.  "By helping those who are out of work learn some new skills, they will be primed and ready to re-join the workforce and help get Michigan moving again."

"Evolving technologies require that leading edge businesses train and educate their employees to remain in lock-step with the industry," said John Goodman, Chairman and CEO of Goodman Networks, which operates in Coldwater, Farmington Hills, Traverse City and Lansing, Michigan.  "Education and re-training are the keys to assisting people to rejoin the workforce.  Goodman Networks is pleased to be a part of this important initiative toward the goal of helping put displaced auto workers back to work."

Through its AT&T Aspire program, AT&T and the AT&T Foundation have awarded millions of dollars in grants to schools and nonprofits across the country for programs focused on high school success and workforce readiness, launched a company-wide job shadow initiative, supported dropout prevention summits across the country, and released the findings of landmark research on the educators' perspective regarding the dropout crisis.

"The curriculum being offered by Henry Ford, developed together with this coalition, will provide displaced workers with new high-tech skills that can be applied across many industries," said James A. Murray, president, AT&T Michigan.  "We're proud to be part of this industry coalition, and I want to thank Governor Granholm for bringing us together to help our workers gain the knowledge they need to compete in the global economy."  

More information regarding the Michigan Alliance for High-Tech Skills Training, including specific announcements about when students can begin enrolling in the program and more information on the program's curriculum will be announced as they are determined and developed.

*AT&T products and services are provided or offered by subsidiaries and affiliates of AT&T Inc. under the AT&T brand and not by AT&T Inc.

About AT&T

AT&T Inc. (NYSE: T) is a premier communications holding company. Its subsidiaries and affiliates, AT&T operating companies, are the providers of AT&T services in the United States and around the world. Among their offerings are the world's most advanced IP-based business communications services, the nation's fastest 3G network and the best wireless coverage worldwide, and the nation's leading high speed Internet access and voice services. In domestic markets, AT&T is known for the directory publishing and advertising sales leadership of its Yellow Pages and YELLOWPAGES.COM organizations, and the AT&T brand is licensed to innovators in such fields as communications equipment. As part of their three-screen integration strategy, AT&T operating companies are expanding their TV entertainment offerings. In 2009, AT&T again ranked No. 1 in the telecommunications industry on FORTUNE® magazine's list of the World's Most Admired Companies. Additional information about AT&T Inc. and the products and services provided by AT&T subsidiaries and affiliates is available at http://www.att.com.

About Philanthropy at AT&T

AT&T and the AT&T Foundation are committed to advancing education, strengthening communities and improving lives. Through its philanthropic initiatives and partnerships, AT&T supports projects that create learning opportunities; promote academic and economic achievement; and address community needs. The AT&T Foundation celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2009, and more than $160 million was contributed through AT&T corporate-, employee- and AT&T Foundation-giving programs in 2008 alone.

© 2009 AT&T Intellectual Property. All rights reserved. AT&T, the AT&T logo and all other marks contained herein are trademarks of AT&T Intellectual Property and/or AT&T affiliated companies.

About Henry Ford Community College

Henry Ford Community College in Dearborn, MI is a comprehensive public community college serving 19,000 students each fall and winter semester in southeast Michigan.  HFCC is dedicated to preparing people  for a rapidly changing world and workplace by offering more than 100 associate degree university transfer and career programs.  HFCC offers high-quality, innovative programs to meet the educational and training needs of the culturally and racially diverse population of southeast Michigan. In addition to providing a pool of highly skilled workers for Detroit-area employers, HFCC also specializes in customized workforce development training for major businesses and industrial corporations. To learn more about HFCC, go to www.hfcc.edu.

About Capital Communications

Established in 1986, Capital Communications, Inc. focuses on partnering with our clients to provide solutions and improve efficiencies through customized telecommunications systems. Exceptional customer service and an uncompromising work ethic are the hallmarks of our company. Our clients include Fortune 500 corporations, cities, government agencies and other organizations.  As one of AT&T's most tenured Michigan partners, Capital Communications offers a complete range of cutting-edge engineering and installation services for the central office environment and the ever-expanding mobility cell sites. Capital Communications' highly qualified engineers, on-time project management and dedicated installation technicians have earned us the reputation as one of the most trusted and respected telecommunications providers in the Midwest.  Visit http://capcominc.com/ for more information.

About Goodman Networks

Goodman Networks is a TL 9000-V certified telecom services company helping customers engineer, deploy, integrate and maintain complex and converging communications networks.  Goodman Networks customers benefit from history of project success regardless of size, scope, location or complexity.  These successes are due to both the company's mature processes and systems and the over 1,500 telecommunications professionals that provide the end-to-end management of these projects for its customers.  The company is headquartered in Plano, TX with offices throughout the US.  Goodman Networks is a TL 9000-V certified and is a certified MBE and Corporate Plus member of the National Minority Supplier Development Council.  Visit www.goodmannetworks.com for more information.

About Lineage Power

Lineage Power Corporation, a Gores Group company, traces its 95+ year heritage of patented innovation to AT&T, Bell Labs, Lucent Technologies and Western Electric.  The first name in power, Lineage delivers reliable and intelligent power conversion solutions with energy-efficient AC/DC power supplies, DC/DC board-mounted power modules, telecom energy systems, and custom power products backed by local field expertise in 25+ locations worldwide. Designed for decades of non-stop operation, the high-availability DC power conversion solutions enable voice, video and data communications while assuring investment protection, total system efficiency, and significantly reduced total cost of ownership.  More information about Lineage hardware, software, services and training is available at www.lineagepower.com.

About Quanta Services

Quanta Services (NYSE: PWR) is a leading specialized contracting services company, delivering infrastructure solutions for the electric power, natural gas, pipeline, telecommunications and cable television industries.  The company's comprehensive services include the design, installation, repair and maintenance of network infrastructure nationwide.  Quanta's patent-pending micro-trenching solution is just one part of Quanta's turnkey fiber deployment services, which take fiber projects from concept to the customer, by providing a complete range of services from engineering through project management to content acquisition and residential and commercial marketing and installation. In addition, Quanta provides point-to-point fiber optic telecommunications infrastructure and licensing in select markets and offers related design, procurement, construction and maintenance services.  Visit www.quantaservices.com for more information.  

About Telecom Technicians, Inc.

With over 25 years of experience in deploying some of the nation's most advanced networks, Telecom Technicians, Inc. is recognized as a leading partner in network integration, providing rapid, cost effective high quality solutions.  By ensuring that our customers' network integration needs are met, we are continually rewarding them with a competitive edge.  At TTI, our objective is to: "Provide the best possible network services through our commitment to quality management."  TTI links people with technology, creating opportunities for customers to improve productivity and achieve their goals. For more information about our company, please visit www.telecomtech.com.  

SOURCE AT&T Inc.