A local academic whose mysterious disappearance captivated Edmontonians until his body was found in the North Saskatchewan River Tuesday will be forever immortalized by a University of Toronto scholarship established in his name.

In a letter to the UofT Mathematics Department, Chair John Bland called Robert Barrington Leigh, 20, “an exceptional student” who was “shy and modest, despite his enormous abilities.”

The student was visiting his family in Edmonton when he disappeared Aug. 13. His body was recovered Tuesday and his death ruled non-criminal.

Barrington Leigh was to enter his fourth year of math and physics studies at the UofT this fall, and was already taking graduate-level courses by his second year.

He’d won top awards there, and at several international math competitions. Bland expected him to pursue graduate studies at a top university, “and to have a brilliant career.”

A memorial for Barrington Leigh will take place in Toronto Sunday at the Duke of Gloucester pub on Yonge Street.

The Ross Rankin and Family Graduate Scholarships are open to full and part-time graduate students who will have completed at least nine graduate credit hours at Clarion University . Part-time students must be enrolled for at least six credits during the semester the funds will be used.

Graduate students must currently be enrolled in one of Clarion University ’s graduate programs and must have completed nine graduate credit hours by the time of application. Students must be in good academic standing with at least a 3.0 grade point average in their program. Applicants for the scholarship must state their scholarly goals and show their service to the University and community at large.

All scholarship funds are administered by the Clarion University Foundation Inc. The Clarion University Foundation Inc., organized in 1969, is a not-for-profit corporation. The foundation was formed to promote educational purposes in connection with or at the request of Clarion University . It is the organization designated to receive and manage private sector gifts provided for the support of the activities and programs of the university. Such gifts are generated through contributions from alumni, faculty and staff, business and industry, retired faculty members, and other friends of Clarion University .

The Clarion University Alumni Association is dedicated to supporting the university community through the fostering of relationships between current and past students.

Applications are available in the Alumni Relations Office, Center for Advancement (corner of Corbett Street and Greenville Avenue ) and the Graduate Studies Office in the Carrier Administration Building . Applications are due by Oct. 2.

Salle Whillock, a seventhgrade teacher at Washington Junior High School in Bentonville and a clogging instructor at Regional Rec., Inc. in Bentonville, has just returned from Branson, Mo., where she performed four shows a day at Silver Dollar City in the Championship Clogging Show during the National Kids’ Festival. Tollett gets scholarship

The first Wayne W. Simpson Memorial Scholarship in the amount of $ 1, 000 was awarded to Bentonville High School senior Whitney Tollett.

Tollett will attend Northeastern Oklahoma College in Miami, Okla., this fall.

Wayne Simpson was a lifelong Benton County farmer, and spent 10 years on the Bentonville School Board.

The Wayne W. Simpson Memorial Scholarship will be awarded annually to a student for further education in agriculture, public service or merchandisingrelated fields. Donations to this scholarship account may be made at any Arvest Bank. Hawkins named Student of the Month

The Arkansas Career Training Institute in Hot Springs had named Justin Hawkins of Pea Ridge as Student of the Month for June. Hawkins is the son of Jusy Hawkins and Harry Palmer.

He graduated from Pea Ridge High School in 2004. JBU names students to list

The following students have been named to John Brown University’s President’s and Dean’s List of distinguished students from the Advance Degree Completion Program. Each student is a member of the Northwest Advance Program working toward a bachelor’s degree in Business Information Systems or Organizational Management.

President’s List Group 11 (Bachelor of Science in Business Information Systems ): Danny Castleman and Doug Corbino of Bentonville, Chantel Killmer of Bella Vista, Gene Newton of Gentry and Kevin Whitson of Rogers.

Dean’s List Group 11 (Bachelor of Science in Business Information Systems ): John Bundy of Bentonville, Daniel Goodwin of Rogers and Shane Stephens of Bella Vista.

President’s List Group 51 (Bachelor of Science in Organizational Management ): Camille Hector of Rogers and JoAnn Jimenez of Bentonville.

Dean’s List Group 51 (Bachelor of Science in Organizational Management ): Kathryn Landers of Pineville, Mo., and Bill Meyers of Garfield.

The Advance Program is a degree-completion program that allows students to complete their bachelor’s degree by attending classes one night a week. Classes are designed for working adults 23 years of age or older who have at least two years of prior-college credit and relevant work experience. Arkansas Venture Forum Leaderhsip announced

The Arkansas Venture Forum has announced the leadership of the 2006 Arkansas Venture Conference. Kay Palmer, executive vice president of technical services and chief information officer for J. B. Hunt Transport Services Inc., and John White, Chancellor of the University of Arkansas, accepted the positions as honorary co-chairs of the conference. For the first time in its five-year history, the event will be held in northwest Arkansas. It is slated for Nov. 16-17 at the John Q. Hammons Center in Rogers. The conference is focused on improving the environment for Arkansasbased ventures and among other things, connecting entrepreneurs with potential investors. Rogers natives head overseas to study

A pair of Rogers natives who attend Harding University will spend a semester overseas as part of Harding’s international program.

Sarah Williams is among the 42 students spending the semester in Florence, Italy.

Katelyn Clark is among 35 student spending the semester in Viña del Mar, Chile. Medical Auxiliary scholarships Awarded

The Auxiliary of Northwest Medical Center of Bentonville is pleased to announce the awarding of three $ 1, 000 scholarships to two staff members and one daughter of a staff member who are furthering their studies in the field of medicine.

The awards include:

Wanda J. Rohman is a registered nurse with Northwest Medical Center-Bentonville continuing her education towards her Masters in Nursing at the University of Missouri.

Christa N. Fraley works in Central Sterile at Northwest Medical Center-Bentonville; working towards her physical therapy / pre-med degree at the University of Central Arkansas

Raquel Garrett is the daughter of a Northwest Medical Center-Bentonville staff member. She is a recent graduate of Gentry High School and will start attending Northwest Arkansas Community College working towards her nursing degree.

ljjjHow free is free education? That's the provocative title of a report released last week looking at the cost of education in Lusaka.

Looking at the results of this report prepared by the Jesuit Centre for Theological Reflection (JCTR), I was saddened by the apparent absence from current political debates of intelligent discussion of serious questions like those raised about the quality and quantity of education for the youth of Zambia.

The Government of the Republic of Zambia made an important decision in 2002 to remove the so-called user fees in primary schools throughout the country.

The return of free education meant a noteworthy reversal of the IMF/World Bank designed cost sharing plans that were part of the overall Structural Adjustment Programme that Zambia was obliged to accept as a condition for debt relief.

Many people - parents, educationists and development advocates - hailed the move as a step in the right direction.

The introduction of school fees had brought a marked decline in the quantity of education and had not brought a significant increase in the quality of education.

The State House website says very clearly: The development of any nation depends on the quality of education that is provided for the children and the youths in the country.

It therefore promises that the government has realised the need to continue to invest in the education sector. President Mwanawasa has even indicated the desire to extend free education through Grade 12, assuring that no child is hindered from obtaining an education because of fees.

When Dennis Williams went to Las Lomas High School circa 1963, school was free: the classes, parking for his '53 Hudson Hornet, even the sports jerseys.

Imagine the sticker shock when he registered his daughter Ariel Buck at Ygnacio Valley High School in Walnut Creek.

In one loop around the gym -- plastered with signs that read "cash or check" -- Williams ended up shelling out nearly $250. At one point, he left to find a cash machine because the $200 in his wallet failed to cover all the costs, including $10 for report-card postage and locker maintenance.

"Your property taxes paid for those things, I thought," he said.

To parents like Williams, a free education doesn't seem all that free anymore, considering the fees and donations that schools demand of families.

It costs $300 to wrestle at San Ramon Valley High School, and $130 to batter up at Acalanes High in Lafayette, not including money for transportation, uniforms and training camps. The donation for marching band at Northgate High School in Walnut Creek comes to $400.

Fees vary school to school, raising questions not only of equity but also of legality. The California Constitution guarantees a free education. Despite that, many campuses, particularly in affluent areas, have shifted toward asking for money, not only for extracurriculars but for classes such as English and science.

"Our public schools, they're supposed to be free, but they're not," said Janet Hayhurst, who expects to spend at least $1,000 this year on classes, sports and other school fees for her two children at College Park High School in Pleasant Hill.

Mandatory fees illegal

In most cases, charging mandatory school fees for classes or activities goes against state law, said Gary Kreep, a Miramonte High School graduate and executive director of the United States Justice Foundation. The nonprofit group has sued the Claremont, Escondido and Los Angeles school districts in Southern California over school fees for student identification cards, books and cheerleading outfits.

"A free public education means just that: a free education," Kreep said. "No fees, no nada."

State regulations forbid charging for what is an "integral part" of a student's education. In 1984, the state Supreme Court said that means no fees for extracurricular activities such as sports or electives such as music.

Schools also cannot demand that students raise a certain amount of money to participate in an activity or ask for a donation and then penalize students who do not pay.

"That's strictly illegal," Kreep said.

Those that stray from these rules have paid the price. In 2001, a Superior Court judge ordered the Pasadena school district to reimburse parents for illegal charges, part of a settlement brokered by the Justice Foundation. In 2005, the Butte County Grand Jury ordered the Chico school district, which withheld diplomas from students with outstanding balances, to refund fees to families.

Despite laws against mandatory education fees, no law exists that prevents schools from begging for cash.

"A school can ask for all the donations they want," Kreep said.

Check, please

Ever since voters approved the property-tax-cutting initiative Proposition 13 in 1978, campuses increasingly have turned to parents to keep athletics, music and classes intact.

Hayhurst expects to pay $250 for daughter Kaley, 14, to play water polo and $500 for son Travis, 17, to play lacrosse at College Park. During registration, she wrote out $220 in checks for yearbooks, associated student body cards and locker fees. Last week, teachers sent Kaley home with forms asking for donations: $10 for biology and $30 for photography.

"I don't mind paying for a yearbook," Hayhurst said. "But when you start getting all the fees for the classes, it starts adding up."

Expenses rack up in the lower grades, too. Pine Valley Middle School in San Ramon asks students to pay $20 each for choir, science and foreign language. Valle Verde Elementary School suggested that fourth-grade students bring antibacterial wipes, Kleenex, and a Franklin Spelling Ace, an electronic dictionary that retails for close to $30.

"It's getting worse, not better, in terms of what the parents have to supply," said Nancy Campbell, who sent three of her four children through Mt. Diablo schools. Her youngest, Katie, attends Northgate High as a sophomore.

With college tuition from older children already eating a hole in her pocket, Campbell drew the line this year: She bought a yearbook for $65 and paid $250 so Katie can play water polo.

If Campbell had paid the $180 to the parent/faculty club and all of Katie's class fees, she would have been out an additional $260.

"I want to give that extra," Campbell said. "But I just couldn't come up with it all."

Free primary education in Zambia only exists on paper, with some schools continuing to levy fees and parents forced to mobilize resources to buy uniforms, books and other supplies.

According to a study conducted by the Social Conditions Research Project of the Jesuit Centre for Theological Reflection (JCTR), 'free education' at government primary schools continues to be unaffordable to the most vulnerable households.

The JCTR report: How Free is Free Education? The Cost of Education in Lusaka, was published last week.

The study, undertaken in the third term of the 2005 school year, sought to establish the total direct and indirect costs of various types of education in Lusaka, including government primary education, junior secondary education (grades 8-9), senior secondary education (grades 10-12) and community school education.

JCTR researcher Chris Petrauskis said: "This important study on cost of education resulted from the many stories emerging in Lusaka compounds about families failing to send their children to government basic schools, even with the free education policy in place. Even more saddening is a situation captured in one of the monthly interviews undertaken by the JCTR with families in high-density compounds, where a young girl was unable to afford a school uniform to attend the government basic school. Therefore, she was enrolled at a community school but later stopped attending school because her classmates ridiculed her for wearing worn-out clothes."

According to the findings, the average annual total cost of "free" primary education at a government school in Lusaka is K450,000, with approximately K10,000 due to the school as a PTA or Project Fee and an estimated average of K440,000 spent indirectly on purchasing uniforms/shoes and books/supplies.

At both junior (grades 8-9) and senior (grades 10-12) secondary levels, the direct annual cost of secondary school is approximately K300,000, while the estimated average indirect cost is approximately two times (K670,000) and four times (K1,270,000) higher at junior and senior levels respectively.

"In other words," said Petrauskis, "due to these 'hidden' indirect costs of education like uniforms, transportation, packed lunch, and so on, a free education policy in itself is insufficient to achieve 100 per cent enrolment of pupils in school."

Other major findings of the report indicate that parents from higher density areas tend to invest lower amounts of money on education for their children, especially in terms of school lunches and private tuition at senior secondary level, which may be jeopardizing the ability of poorer students to excel at school.

Only half of the study participants perceived that the free education policy had made primary education more accessible to pupils. And the majority of parents perceived a decrease in education quality at government basic schools, mainly linked to poor performance and remuneration of teachers, teacher strikes and the practice of charging for private tuition.

But the findings of the JCTR report point to issues that must be addressed before acclaiming that education in primary schools is truly free and is accomplishing the greatly desired steps toward development.

These issues definitely affect the availability of education for children from poorer families.

Although the report focused mainly on primary schools in Lusaka, it presents insights that point to a prevailing situation across the nation, across all types and levels of schools.

Any woman or man campaigning for the office of President, member of parliament or local councilor could get a sense of what the JCTR report concludes by simply walking around the compounds of Lusaka or other major cities or into rural areas.

Just talk with parents, teachers, and headmasters about the cost, accessibility and quality of education in Zambia, as did the two JCTR researchers, Chris Petrauskis and Sheila Nkunika.

I would venture to say that if these candidates come up with different findings, they must be interviewing on a different planet! When we talk about costs of education, we must distinguish direct costs and indirect costs.

Direct costs are those administered by the schools, such as user fees, PTA charges or project fees. Indirect costs include school uniforms and shoes, books and supplies, transportation, private tuition, packed lunches, etc.

The JCTR report finds that the government policy of free education has led to the removal of nearly all direct fees for grades 1 to 7. But it is true that some schools continue, contrary to guidelines from the Ministry of Education, to administer modest (K10,000 to K30,000/year) PTA charges or project fees.

But it is indirect costs (mostly uniforms and shoes, books and supplies) that can add up to an average annual amount of K440,000 for one child.

What that can mean for poorer households of four to six children is, obviously, prohibitive of access to ìfree education. And to speak of extending free education up through Grade 12 without seriously addressing this problem is neither economically realistic nor politically responsible.

With the back-to-school season in full swing, we are reminded of seasonal trends influence over Pay Per Click campaigns. During the Back-to-School season in particular, we are likely to see traffic increases in the office supply, online education, and the children’s apparel and accessory industries. We examined online search trends during the back-to-school season from 2002 to the present and discovered some interesting results.
The two main areas that the Searchfeed.com Network has seen significant traffic increases in during this period are online education and children’s apparel/accessories verticals.

Specifically, the online education vertical has experienced the strongest increase and interest with advertisers either starting new campaigns or ramping up existing campaigns for online education programs. Leveraging off that fall ‘Back-to-School’ feeling, online education sites heavily promote distance learning programs and online adult continuing education programs, with an annual starting mark at beginning of August. This trend is validated by findings in a recent study.

According to a ClickZ report, State of Continuing Education Marketing: How Does Your University Size Up?, “Revenues for continuing education rose 67 percent at responding institutions since the previous survey in 2004. The growth in distance learning is driven by the growth of interactive marketing.”

While the study does not note a specific time of year for increases, we can still note online advertising is a major force that fuels its growth. During the back to school period, we also see heavy increases in traffic relating to online shopping for children’s clothes, including fall jackets and accessories such as backpacks and lunch boxes.

With all seasons, back-to-school being no exception, there are few campaign tips that advertisers should heed.

First, take advantage of the generated interest and increase the marketability of your website by adding seasonal keywords. For example, if you an online retailer selling luggage, include a keyword and listing phrase that stands out to potential customers with a promotion, a qualifier and call to action. For example, with the keyword “children’s backpacks,” create a listing like - “Buy now and get a 10% discount until September 30, 2006 on school backpacks for boys and girls.”

Second, be cognizant of the bidding landscape. It is important for advertisers to note that bid amounts tend to increase with specific verticals affected by the season. For example, now we are seeing an increase on keywords such as “online education programs” and “advanced degrees online.”

Our research confirms that typically 70 percent of all clicks take place in the first three-to-five positions. Consequently, if you want to be competitive – it is prudent to increase bid amounts on seasonal keywords to gain or sustain visibility in top positions.

Third, advertise online throughout the year. While the busy season is over, it is still important to maintain an online presence. The key is to monitor your campaign, especially the bidding landscape. Bidding gaps create opportunities. Oftentimes, advertisers set bids higher because of a busy season, but do not realize they can lower them and still be in the same position as demand decreases after the season is over. For example, if the leading position is $1.19 per click and the second position is $0.79, a significant bid gap has been created, as there is a notable difference between the first and sequential positions.

Therefore, it is not only important to monitor bids relating to seasonal trends, but competitors’ bids as well. Tracking a campaign and having a full understanding of what works and what doesn’t can help to ensure a competitive advantage. There are also free tools available from many PPC advertising firms, including Searchfeed.com, that automate the bidding process and help avoid overspending and bid gaps.

In the end, it is about aligning the online world with the offline world by reflecting seasonal trends, such as the Back-to-School period, within Pay Per Click campaigns.

Just one more year of training, and Gaskins may be able to name his price as a construction worker in Louisiana. Growth and rebuilding efforts around the state aren't moving fast enough for developers, and they're hungry for talent now.

Instructors at LTC are called daily by employers in carpentry, electrical wiring, and air-conditioning repair. They say entry-level salaries climbed in a hurry after the hurricanes, and continue to increase.

If that wasn't good enough, Gaskins' schooling is free, and he'll be given a set of tools before graduation.

It's part of a tuition-free job training program for healthcare and construction trades through Louisiana Technical Colleges. The program is funded in part by an H1B grant from President Bush's "High Growth Job Training" initiative. The Louisiana Department of Labor has also put $15 million toward job skills training at LTC.

"When they finish the training there are definitely jobs out there," Pratt said. "It'd be impossible not to find work, and good pay."

Gaskins credits his newfound focus in part to Hurricane Rita's destruction along the coast. He worked in the Port of West St. Mary, where many businesses were gutted after flooding.

When Gaskins helped put up new dry wall at Twin Brothers Marine, the work was fun. He wanted more of it, he wanted a "hands-on" career.

"The fact about being able to build something with your hands, man it's something else," Gaskins said.

Enrollment in each construction trade class has gone up this semester.

The government grants covering tuition have brought interest back to the field, and everyone in Louisiana will benefit, says carpentry instructor Paul Poche.

"With more carpenters out there, more construction and home costs will go down."

Roberta Williams, a retired school teacher from New Iberia, didn't enroll in carpentry class to help kick start a new career.

Each week Williams will learn something new in class, and each Saturday she'll put it towards rebuilding homes throughout Vermilion Parish. Teams of volunteers from First United Methodist Church have gutted many homes in the parish, she said.

Now, Williams says, the fun part comes: "Building from scratch."

Just one more year of training, and Gaskins may be able to name his price as a construction worker in Louisiana. Growth and rebuilding efforts around the state aren't moving fast enough for developers, and they're hungry for talent now.

Instructors at LTC are called daily by employers in carpentry, electrical wiring, and air-conditioning repair. They say entry-level salaries climbed in a hurry after the hurricanes, and continue to increase.

If that wasn't good enough, Gaskins' schooling is free, and he'll be given a set of tools before graduation.

It's part of a tuition-free job training program for healthcare and construction trades through Louisiana Technical Colleges. The program is funded in part by an H1B grant from President Bush's "High Growth Job Training" initiative. The Louisiana Department of Labor has also put $15 million toward job skills training at LTC.

"When they finish the training there are definitely jobs out there," Pratt said. "It'd be impossible not to find work, and good pay."

Gaskins credits his newfound focus in part to Hurricane Rita's destruction along the coast. He worked in the Port of West St. Mary, where many businesses were gutted after flooding.

When Gaskins helped put up new dry wall at Twin Brothers Marine, the work was fun. He wanted more of it, he wanted a "hands-on" career.

"The fact about being able to build something with your hands, man it's something else," Gaskins said.

Enrollment in each construction trade class has gone up this semester.

The government grants covering tuition have brought interest back to the field, and everyone in Louisiana will benefit, says carpentry instructor Paul Poche.

"With more carpenters out there, more construction and home costs will go down."

Roberta Williams, a retired school teacher from New Iberia, didn't enroll in carpentry class to help kick start a new career.

Each week Williams will learn something new in class, and each Saturday she'll put it towards rebuilding homes throughout Vermilion Parish. Teams of volunteers from First United Methodist Church have gutted many homes in the parish, she said.

Now, Williams says, the fun part comes: "Building from scratch."

Students wishing to study abroad on any of the programs sponsored by California State University, Fresno are eligible to receive additional financial support from the newly-established Provost's International Scholarship Fund.

Dr. Jeri Echeverria, provost and vice president for Academic Affairs, announced that $100,000 has been specifically earmarked for 2006-07 study abroad scholarships.

"Our university recognizes the importance of internationalizing the campus," said Dr. Echeverria. "This new international scholarship fund is designed to encourage more of our students to take advantage of all the growing opportunities that exist in foreign study."

Applicants must be enrolled at Fresno State and may apply the award to any of the following study abroad programs:

• University Studies Abroad Consortium (USAC) - year, semester or summer study

• CSU International Programs – year-long study

• London Semester

• Greece Semester

• Greece Summer

• Armenian Semester

• Short term summer or winter faculty-led programs

• One-on-one university exchange programs

• Extension credit travel study programs

• Other study abroad programs in development

UNM study abroad advisors will be on hand to talk with students about the international exchange program, which allows UNM students to study at more than 75 top universities in 25 different countries. UNM departments, including Spanish & Portuguese, Honors Program, Art & Art History, Health Sciences Center and the Latin American & Iberian Institute, will provide information about special summer programs and short-term international study opportunities.

UNM students can learn about other opportunities, including those offered through other New Mexico institutions, now open to UNM students through a special statewide agreement.

Study abroad scholarship information will be available, including the Fulbright Program, Gilman, Freeman-Asia, National Security Education Program, the brand new UNM Ambassadors scholarship and other financial aid resources.

The Study Abroad Fair is free and open to the public. For more information, contact the Office of International Programs & Studies, 277-4032, or email studyabd@unm.edu; or the Latin American & Iberian Institute, 277-6843, or email rcote@unm.edu.

Even without the aid of a scholarship, students who study abroad pay the same fees as if they were attending SF State. They are not charged overseas tuition, administrative costs or other fees.

"We want to dispel the myth that study abroad is expensive," said Kati Bell, senior study abroad adviser in the Office of International Programs.

Despite the relative affordability of studying abroad, students like Kenny Loui are grateful for the support.

Loui, a political science graduate student who will study Japanese at Mejiro University in Tokyo, earned a $14,000 scholarship from the Japan Student Services Organization. Loui, who has long been interested in Japanese culture and studied the language for several years, aspires to become a Japan-based legal attaché for the FBI.

"With the scholarship, I won't have to worry as much about money," Loui said by phone from Washington, D.C., where he has a summer internship with the bureau.

SF State students study abroad through two state-supported programs: the CSU International Programs and SF State Bilateral Exchanges. The CSU International Programs enable hundreds of students to pursue their studies abroad each year at 65 affiliated universities in 20 countries. The Bilateral Exchanges program allows students to study abroad for one semester or more while studying at one of 31 associate universities in 14 countries.

Dayangku Nur Hidayatul Fitri Pengiran Dato Paduka Haji Othman, Samuel Tay Zhi Jian and Dayang Zety Erwinna Haji Ali Adin were selected by the Yayasan Foundation and Ministry of Education from a host of students for excelling in both academic and non-academic activities.

Dayangku Nur Hidayatul, a Science College student, said she was proud of winning the coveted scholarship, but also felt a big responsibility.

``It's exciting, but at the same time worrying,'' said the student, who will be leaving for the UK on September 24 together with the two other winners.

Dayangku will study medicine at Guy's and St Thomas Hospital, King's College, University of London. She said she was thankful to Yayasan Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah for giving her the opportunity to further her studies, before thanking her family and college for support.

Meanwhile, Samuel Tay Zhi Jian, who hails from Sayyidina Ali Secondary School in Kuala Belait, said he was surprised to have won the scholarship.

He will be studying computer-aided mechanical engineering at the University of London School of Physical Sciences and Engineering.

Both students said academic excellence was in the family. Dayangku's sister, also a Science College student, was recently the recipient of a teaching scholarship, while Samuel's eldest sister is studying medicine in New Zealand.

Dayang Zety, the youngest in a family of five, said she was the first in the family to win a scholarship. A student of Duli Pengiran Muda Haji Al-Muhtadee Billah College, she will embark on a five-year course in medicine at St George's Hospital College of Medicine at the University of London.

Scholarship contracts have to be signed by the recipients, two guarantors and the Managing Director of the Yayasan Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Foundation, Pehin Udana Khatib dato Paduka Seri Setia Ustaz Haji Awang Badaruddin.

The signing was followed by a prayer reading by Pehin Khatib Haji Mustafa to bless the scholars on their studies.

Goodwill Industries of Middle Tennessee Inc. is expanding its Employment & Training program through a five-year plan designed to increase training and partnership opportunities. The program will also be renamed Career Solutions.

The new program will include the expansion of computer training programs to more markets and new training classes in the food, landscaping, construction and auto detailing industries.

oodwill, which raises its funds through the sale of donated items, has 11 Career Solutions Centers throughout Middle and West Tennessee.

After loosing more than $55 million to other state departments several years ago, the state-funded Employment Training Panel is this year set to get some of that money back.

In the state's 2006-07 budget, the ETP was slated to receive $40.3 million for the job training grants it provides to businesses and educational institutions, such as College of the Canyons. However, changes to the budget in June resulted in the ETP getting an additional $12.9 million.

While this may be a step in the right direction, it's only the first of many that must be taken, said Barry Worthington, an economic development analyst for the state.

"It's kind of a misnomer to say that we're getting a budget increase, because it's still only bringing us back up to our normal budget," he said. "A couple of years ago they took ($55 million) to fund other things. The last two years of increased budgets is really only bringing us back to where we should be. And we're still not there."

In 2003-04, the ETP's budget was cut from $75 million to $18 million, with most of it going to the Department of Social Services, Worthington said.

While this year marks the largest budget appropriation - a total of $53 million, up from $37.8 - each successive year since 2003-04 has seen increases.

The additional funding will allow the ETP to contract with more employers and education institutions throughout the state.

As a state-funded program that uses revenues from an employer-paid tax, the ETP provides job-training grants to companies and programs such as COC's Employee Training Institute.

COC's Employee Training Institute has received funding from ETP since 1996 and expects to continue doing so in the future, said Dena Maloney, dean of economic development for COC.

"ETP contracts are a wonderful way for companies to recoup some of its taxes in the from of training support, but it takes a bit of manpower to be able to manage an ETP contract," she said.

In the Santa Clarita Valley, COC's Employee Training Institute works with the Valley Industrial Association and local businesses to develop its array of training programs each year.

"Typically our contracts are anywhere from $400,000 to $500,000 and run for a period of two years," Maloney said.

The most popular programs at COC have continued to be LEAN manufacturing, aerospace manufacturing and biomedical device manufacturing.

Companies put their employees through these training programs to increase productivity and maintain a competitive edge, Maloney said.

"Companies are really looking to be more agile in the marketplace," she said.

Even institutions with larger contracts such as Glendale Community College's depend on ETP funding.

"The money is coming back and that's a really good thing," said Pamela Welden, former director of COC's Employee Training Institute and current program manager of Glendale's Professional Development Center, which received $1.7 million from ETP this year. "Our employers definitely need to get the work force into a position of being competitive again."

Though many smaller ETP contracts have been eliminated in recent years due to a lack of funds, budget increase have helped keep programs like COC's running, Worthington said.

"We're hoping to get the rest of (the money) back next year," he said. "We continue to do more and write more contracts, but we'll keep fighting to get (that money) back."

A new school in Collier County is giving students a real life education. Class was in session for the first time Monday morning at the Lorenzo Walker Technical High School.

But the principal says this isn’t your average vocational school - it combines career training and academics. Most vocational schools only focus on career courses.

“Some board members and district personnel have been working on it for three years, so to see it here, it's extremely exciting,” said Jeanette Johnson, the school’s principal.

The first class is made up of 150 freshmen. Currently, their East Naples campus is made up seven portable buildings and one technical classroom.

Students expressed excitement about the new opportunity.

“I want to be a mechanic, so it’s going to help me better than a normal high school would,” said Alejandro Correa.

“It gets you ready and I really want to go to college," said classmate Cara Breault.

The school plans to add another grade level and more classrooms each year. Johnson hopes to open the permanent campus two years.

The state's Succeed, Florida! program, in its second year will award 156 competitive grants to support new and expanding programs in nursing and allied health fields, manufacturing, automotive technology and teacher certification with $33.4 million.

Those sectors have been targeted by Enterprise Florida and Workforce Florida, the state's public-private economic development and employment agencies.

The Succeed, Florida! total includes $5.3 million in grants for 102 new career academies. Last year, the program distributed $31 million in competitive and career academy grants.

"The best economic development tool is an educated work force," said Lt. Gov. Toni Jennings. "It is better than all the incentives that we can offer because it is the first thing that new businesses and expanding businesses look for."

Jennings and Education Commissioner John Winn also announced 38 grants totaling nearly $2.1 million in first-year spending for career training under the state's new APlus-Plus program aimed at increasing the rigor and relevance of Florida's high schools.

The APlus-Plus grants include programs in health care, teaching, information technology, finance, firefighting, construction, building design, graphics, automotive services and sports medicine.

"If we can stay on this mission for three years we will forever change the face of high school education," Winn said.