For Immediate Release
Date: August 17, 2005

Lauren Receives Grant Funds

The West Texas Central Development Board has awarded Lauren Engineers & Constructors grant funds through the Workforce Investment Fund, which are to be used for employee training. The WIF was created by the Workforce Board to provide funds for customized training, upgrading skills of current employees, developing new training programs, creating new high-skill or high-wage jobs, or retaining employees for new or emerging occupations. Lauren was awarded $27,650 which will be used to provide additional training for 14 welders at the Lauren Fabrication shop, located on South 18th St. in Abilene. Lauren was chosen because of the critical need for trained welders in central Texas and Lauren’s commitment to offering fare wages for qualified craft workers. Carl Croft, Lauren’s Fabrication Shop Superintendent, comments, “We are excited about the receipt of this grant. This will allow Lauren the opportunity to supplement our welding training program and allow us to hire and train less experienced welders as well as increase the knowledge of some of our current people. This will have a positive influence on the types and amount of future work we anticipate to receive.” Lauren plans to complete this training in the next few months, resulting in four new process welders, eight new multiple-process welders and two new millwrights.