Southern Gets Grant to Train Low-Income People

Southern University has received a $572,528 grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to begin a program to train low-income people to be entrepreneurs and for such positions as seamstresses, plant workers and floor managers.

The grant went to Southern's University Community Development Corporation of Louisiana. "The UCDC-LA submitted a very competitive application to receive this grant, " said Jeneal Banks, project director. The grant will be continue until Sept. 20, 2005.

The program is called Project TEAM, or Training Entrepreneurs in Apparel Manufacturing.

"TEAM will be part of an overall thrust to increase economic development activities in the North Baton Rouge corridor where little business development and no manufacturing exists," said Banks.

Forty-five participants will be employed and trained. People receiving housing subsidies, food subsidies or any other government assistance are the primary targets.

"Employees will have the opportunity to use the skills they learn with Project TEAM for the future," said Banks.

The site of the new business will be Innovative Apparel Manufacturing (I AM).

"I AM is a for-profit entity established to do business in the East Baton Rouge Parish and the start of Louisiana," said Kathy Fletcher, marketing director for TEAM. "It will serve as the main company for Project TEAM."

Employees will also be able to buy stock in the company. Fifty-one percent of the business will be retained for Innovative Apparel Manufacturing and 49 percent will be sold in stock to workers.

"They are likely to be more motivated and ambitious about the company because they are partial owners," said Banks.

An e-commerce site for I AM called EsellSouth.com, is to be launched soon. The Web site will allow products to be mailed to customers. Products for other related companies will be sold on the Web site as well.

I AM is expected to be up and running in February.

Opal Mabry is a student at Southern University. She writes for The Southern Digest.