El Centro College selected to participate in ‘Gap for Community Colleges Program’

March 6, 2012 - PRLog -- DALLAS -- As part of the White House Initiative ‘Skills for America’s Future,’ Gap Inc., parent company of The Gap, Banana Republic and Old Navy brands, has selected El Centro College as one of among 15 campuses to participate in a nationwide program providing community college students with the skills and knowledge to be successful and competitive in the workforce.  

Starting today, participating El Centro College fashion marketing students will have access to the same comprehensive training curriculum given to Gap store managers. This is the first time Gap will offer this program outside of its own organization. The in-house developed "Gap for Community Colleges" program is designed to help students get ahead in the career of their choice. The workshop material covers job search preparation materials such as interview skills and resume writing, practical workplace skills such as managing people and setting priorities and how to effectively communicate in the workplace.  Students also receive on-the-job experience with an opportunity to job shadow a Gap manager in a store.

“For more than 40 years, Gap Inc. has been committed to improving education in the communities where we live and work, said Eva Sage-Gavin, Executive Vice President of Global Human Resources & Corporate Affairs for Gap.  "We are proud to participate in this White House initiative and expand our job training programs to more cities to support efforts to improve the economy. Our hope is that Gap for Community Colleges can be part of the solution to improve workforce competitiveness here in the U.S.”

In addition to providing a tailored workshop, Gap is offering scholarship assistance and job placement opportunities, and six El Centro students will be eligible for a $1,000.00 scholarship. Gap will invite all participating students to apply for a job and expects to hire over 1,000 students from community colleges nationally in 2012.

Skills for America’s Future (http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2010/10/04/building-skills...) is President Barack Obama's recent White House initiative that focuses on maximizing workforce development, job training programs, and job placement for community college students. The initiative is part of a larger effort to empower and educate the American workforce to become more competitive in the global economy.

Gap, Inc. (http://www.gap.com) is a leading global specialty retailer offering clothing, accessories, and personal care products for men, women, children, and babies under the Gap, Banana Republic, Old Navy, Piperlime, and Athleta brands. Fiscal year 2011 net sales were $14.5 billion. Gap products are available for purchase in over 90 countries worldwide through about 3,000 company-operated stores, about 200 franchise stores, and e-commerce sites.

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Celebrating its 45th anniversary, El Centro College (http://www.elcentrocollege.edu) is located in the heart of downtown Dallas, Texas, and is a vibrant, urban community college that is fully committed to a seamless educational process and life-long learning. El Centro was the first of seven colleges now comprising the Dallas County Community College District, the largest undergraduate institution in the state that has served over 1.5 million people since El Centro first began teaching.

The Fashion Marketing program at El Centro College (http://www.elcentrocollege.edu/fashionmarketing) is a nationally renowned vocational education curriculum that specializes in the business side of fashion – combining modern business principles with ambition, creativity, and enthusiasm.