Strickland Administration announces new "green jobs" training initiative

Governor Strickland and U.S. Labor Secretary Solis announced this week that Ohio was getting nearly $23 million out of $100 million in federal U.S. Labor Department stimulus money grants to provide working retraining into green collar jobs

?I am grateful to the Obama Administration, Labor Secretary Solis and our state partners for their commitment to retraining Ohioans for jobs in our growing energy sector with these ARRA resources,? Strickland said. ?This assistance will help Ohioans who may be struggling in the current economy to find jobs and long-term careers in our state?s growing green energy fields.?

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Our outstanding award recipients were selected because their proposed projects will connect workers to career pathways in green industries and occupations through diverse partnerships,? said Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis.

According to the Labor Department’s press release:

“The grants will support job training programs to help dislocated workers and others, including veterans, women, African Americans and Latinos, find jobs in expanding green industries and related occupations. Approximately $28 million of the total funds will support projects in communities impacted by auto industry restructuring.”

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Training activities funded through this grant program will be individually tailored based on occupations and skills identified as in demand in local areas around the country. Training programs will seek to prepare workers for a range of careers including: hybrid/electric auto technicians, weatherization specialists, wind and energy auditors, and solar panel installers.

We cannot expect the old manufacturing jobs will come back in our global marketplace, but that doesn’t mean Ohio cannot attract and development manufacturing jobs in new energy industries.

(Waiting for Green Party Gubernatorial candidate to issue yet another “Why not Ohio? post at ProgressOhio that falsely implies that Governor Strickland hasn’t been working to encourage the development and manufacturing of green energy technologies in Ohio.)

Here’s the list of programs that will receive Ohio’s grant funding:

1. Grantee: International Transportation Learning Center

Amount: $5,000,000

Areas Affected: Utah; New Jersey; New York City, and Columbus, OH

2. Grantee: Institute for Career Development (ICD), Inc.

Amount: $4,658,983

Areas Affected: IN Counties: Lake, Porter, LaPorte, Newton, Jasper, Starke, Pulaski; NY County: Erie; OH County: Cuyahoga; PA County: Montgomery

3. Grantee: Communications Workers of America (CWA) National Education and Training Trust

Amount: $3,969,056

Areas Affected: OH counties: Allen, Cuyahoga, Hamilton, Montgomery, Richland, Seneca, Shelby, and Trumbull

4. Grantee: International Training Institute for the Sheet Metal and Air Conditioning Industry

Amount: $ 4,995,188

Areas Affected: MI: Detroit, Livonia, Ann Arbor, Warren, Wayne; OH: Cleveland, Toledo, Akron, Youngstown; MO: St. Louis; Illinois (E. St. Louis); CA: Los Angeles, Anaheim, Long Beach, Riverside, San Bernardino; NM: Albuquerque, Santa Fe, Las Cruces; TX: El Paso, Lubbock

5. Grantee: Ohio Electrical Labor Management Cooperative Committee

Amount: $4,826,073

Areas Affected: Ohio