Jobs for the Future (JFF), a nonprofit education and workforce development organization, said today it has organized an aggressive training initiative for people interested in green jobs.
The GreenWays Initiative will train workers in Boston, Chicago, Detroit, Milwaukee, Philadelphia, Seattle, and Washington, D.C. for green jobs in four major sectors: green construction, auto technology, manufacturing, and utilities.
Funded by an $8 million grant awarded by the U.S. Department of Labor, the project will distribute over $6 million across workforce industry partnerships in the participating cities.
Area employers will be tapped to provide input and suggestions for local green jobs. Programs will include training in repair and maintenance of alternative fuel vehicles, machine operation for green manufacturing, and green construction.
This initiative is a terrific example of how we can equip workers with the knowledge and skills they need to succeed in todays job market, said Marlene B. Seltzer, President & CEO of Jobs For The Future. These programs help create family-supporting careers and grow our economy.
According to a news release, the following cities are among the handful selected for the the training program:
BOSTON
There is rapidly growing demand in Boston for higher skilled automotive specialty technicians (ASTs), especially hybrid technicians, due to growing local sales of hybrid-electric vehicles. There were over 750 current openings in late March, indicating a strong need even in a slow economy, and there is serious concern among employers about replacing their aging workforce. Interviews with employers, including Sullivan Tire, Jiffy Lube, and Herb Chambers Honda conducted by the Partnership for Automotive Career Education (PACE), confirmed a need for new and incumbent workers with hybrid technology knowledge and for bilingual technicians to address the increasing linguistic diversity of their customers. Grant amount: $860,000.
CHICAGO
The re-shoring by manufacturing firms in South Cook County, plus a major new federal grant that will boost manufacturing capacity, is driving a need for computer numerical control (CNC) machinists in small and large fabricated metal manufacturing employers, including Ford Motor Company. The targeted occupations—milling and turning machine operators, quality assurance inspectors, and CNC machine operators, machinists, and programmers—are growing quickly, expecting to add over 4,000 new and replacement jobs in the next five years. Grant amount: $856,000.
DETROIT
With many foreclosed and abandoned properties, Detroit is focused on energy-efficient building, retrofitting, deconstruction and materials use, residential energy efficiency assessing, and other environmental services. With the growing green construction market, estimated growth within the remodeling, framing, siding, and other building sectors is at 8.7 percent over the next five years, adding over 2,000 jobs in the region. Grant amount: $858,000.
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