The Bureau of Indian Affairs expects to enable about 500 adult Indians to enroll in accredited vocational training schools during the fiscal year that ends next June 30, Assistant Secretary of the Interior Roger Ernst announced today.
Under the Indian school vocational training program, the Bureau will not only provide tuition but also transportation to the place of training and subsistence during the course of study for the trainee and his immediate family dependents.
Because funds are limited for the program in its initial year, the Bureau is staffing for this work only at its area offices in Aberdeen, S. Dak.; Gallup, N. Mex.; Muskogee, Okla.; Phoenix, Ariz.; Portland, Oreg.; and in its field relocation offices at Chicago, Ill.; Oakland, Calif.; and St. Louis, Mo.
Applications may be received, however, from Indians in any area who need vocational training to secure satisfactory employment and who reside on trust or restricted land under the jurisdiction of the Indian Bureau.
Indian training in vocational schools is in addition to on-the-job training which is being made available to upwards of 700 Indians in plants and factories in Arizona, New Mexico, North Carolina, South Dakota, and Washington. Training of this nature will be in the fields of electronics, furniture manufacturing, toy and souvenir making, house-trailer manufacturing, and garment making.
