Jobforce Develolpment

It’s been a busy winter for creating jobs here at EEA. We’re supporting workforce development programs across New York, including the Green & Healthy Homes Initiative in Buffalo, the Workforce Investment Board (WIB) of Herkimer, Madison, and Oneida Counties Brownfields Project, and the Cypress Hills Local Development Program Construction Partners Program in Brooklyn. Each creates no-cost opportunities for the unemployed or underemployed to get the training and experience necessary for a successful career in environmental health and/or energy efficiency.

The Green and Healthy Homes Initiative (GHHI) is a national model to improve home-based health and safety funding programs. The GHHI approach provides economic benefit to families in the form of cost savings, develops career pathways to higher-paying ‘green’ jobs, and produces more stable neighborhoods by increasing the quality of housing stock. A total of 300 individuals will participate in training designed to support activities in 200 homes. GHHI Buffalo is now recruiting eligible participants for training beginning this March. Contact Mary Fisher at EEA for more information.

WIB of Herkimer, Madison, and Oneida Counties is working with Mohawk Valley Community College (MVCC) and Oneida County Health Department to administer the EPA Brownfields grant. MVCC plans to train 75 students, place 70 graduates in environmental jobs, and track graduates for one year. The training program will consist of two training sessions that will include a core curriculum of 200 hours. Training will include 40-hour HAZWOPER, 10 hour OSHA health and safety training, lead and asbestos abatement certification training. Session 1 begins early April and Session 2 in late May. Contact James Lee at MVCC for more information.

Cypress Hills LDC unveiled a series of new programs last week designed to engage local contractors in their weatherization and healthy homes initiatives. Cypress Hills Local Development Corporation has a mission to revitalize the Cypress Hills community through housing preservation, economic development, and the positive development of youth and families. They are seeking contractors who do work in the community to partner with them to achieve this mission. CHLDC seeks to promote and strengthen your business while simultaneously doing the much needed building and renovation work in our community and creating good jobs at the same time. Contact Lowell J. Herschberger for more information.

Speaking of Healthy Homes, NYS Homes & Community Renewal (HCR) and the NYD Department of Health & Mental Hygiene are sponsoring two conferences in Manhattan (March 19 -20) and Syracuse (March 22- 23) titled “Weatherization Plus Health” . This is an opportunity for housing, energy and health professionals to share ideas and begin to form partnerships that can have real impacts on the communities we work in. Contact Tom Carey Director, Weatherization Assistance Program NYS Homes and Community Renewal (518) 474-5700 or www.nyshcr.org.

Also, don’t miss the 76th Annual WNY Safety Conference at the Seneca Event Center in Niagara Falls. It’s more than a tradeshow, with workshops, continuing education credits and OSHA certifications available for attendees.

Lest we forget, this week’s winner of our hazard control supply giveaway is Mike Hogue. Congrats Mike! Register and Win!

And finally, EEA has some great courses scheduled for next week, including Lead Renovator Certifications in Rome, Poughkeepsie, Binghamton & Brooklyn, Mold Training in TriBeCa and lots of asbestos training in the greater Jamestown metropolis. Contact us for more information!