ELT Labs brings together transdisciplinary teams from academia, business and all levels of government to research and develop leading-edge workforce development, training and learning programs.
The first initiative to come from ELT Labs is the Web-based training program, EnterTech, designed to primarily help at-risk youth and the working poor enter and succeed in today's competitive workforce.
The EnterTech Program helps employers by teaching employability skills such as responsibility, dependability, positive work attitudes, teamwork and communications skills that result in higher productivity and retention rates.
"With the creation of ELT Labs, IC2 is shifting its focus to the new economy, which is based on the growth of knowledge within individuals," said Dr. Robert Ronstadt, director of the institute. "The global marketplace is demanding highly trained and knowledgeable workers who are adaptable to the rapidly changing technological, economic, political and cultural landscape, ELT Labs will focus on identifying leading edge economic issues, quickly finding solutions and creating self-sustaining business models that other research and development institutes can utilize."
"ELT Labs' main goal will be to empower local communities to shape their own futures through dynamic civic entrepreneurships that form 21st century partnerships for economic development," said Dr. George Kozmetsky, principal investigator of ELT Labs and founder of the institute.
In June 1998, Dr. Kozmetsky and his team of e-Learning instructional technologists received a three-year, $2.1 million grant from the Office of the Governor of the State of Texas to develop the EnterTech Program, with grant oversight by the Texas Workforce Commission.
The EnterTech Program, which subsequently was awarded the eTexas Commission's "Best Practice Award" and "Education That Works" endorsement, is now operating in 10 Texas cities.
Additional information about ELT Labs is available online.
