Wednesday, September 16, 2009

Green Jobs Training Grant

Message from Frank Hotchkiss, Western New York Apollo Alliance

Please look at this message ASAP and respond to Frank Hotchkiss (Office: 716 565-1720, Cell: 716 432-6922, fhotchkiss@usw.org) if interested. The Apollo Alliance needs responses soon to meet a grant deadline next week.

Friends,
The Western New York Apollo Alliance has put together a strategic partnership of academic institutions, business, labor groups; non-profit community groups and the workforce investment system to apply for a U.S. Dept. of Labor grant entitled Pathways Out of Poverty. The purpose of this green jobs training grant is to teach workers the skills required in emerging energy efficiency and renewable energy industries.  As a local entity, we are planning on requesting the full grant amount of $4 million.  The proposed areas which we identified to address are: energy efficient building, construction and retrofit industries, renewable electric power industry, the deconstruction and materials reuse industries, the energy efficiency assessment industry serving residential, commercial and industrial sectors and manufacturers that produce sustainable products using environmentally sustainable processes and materials.
We are in the stages of establishing appropriate training curriculum with the various educational institutions and we would like the input from the business community as to what skill sets they would like to see in prospective employees.  We have contacted the BNE regarding this opportunity and they have taken the step of reaching out to businesses which have shown an interest in relocating to WNY.  We feel this grant presents WNY with a unique opportunity to go beyond the usual training courses and procedures and provides our area the chance to develop specifically identified skill sets our local business community has helped create.
With the recent passage of the Green Jobs Bill in NY, there is an anticipated new funding stream for residential and small business energy retrofits.  Buffalo will be a targeted area for these funds and proposed work and will require a skilled workforce.
One of the major requirements of the grant is to identify job placements.  Due to this we are asking any potential employer to review the attached curriculum and decide if these trainings options fit the type of employee you may be seeking and let us know about specific training employers may be seeking.  If you feel you may be able to hire individuals' trained under this grant we would need a written commitment from you to consider such employment and state a possible number of positions over the next two years.  I emphasize, this is a commitment to consider placement, not a promise to employ.  I have also attached a training partner form and an employer form. [see links to attachments, below]
The grant must be submitted in a very short time frame, the third week of September, therefore I am asking that any business which may be interested in participating in the grant to please respond as quickly as possible. 
If you have any questions, contact Frank Hotchkiss: Office, 716 565-1720; Cell, 716 432-6922; fhotchkiss@usw.org .


Frank J. Hotchkiss
USW District 4, Staff Representative
WNY Apollo Alliance
305 Cayuga Rd., Suite 175
Cheektowaga, NY, 14225
Fax: 716 565-1727


Attachments:
Information on the recently passed Green Jobs/Green NY Bill is here.


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