Special Report: 1.26.2010

Posted by Joe Salimando on Monday, January 25, 2010

GREEN JOBS TRAINING - PART TWO

The other 12 destinations for your $

By Joe Salimando

In the previous Special Report, we detailed where 13 Energy Training Partnerships grants (from the Dept. of Labor -- stimulus money for green training) were headed. Below, the other 12 are covered. Note that this is where your money (or, more accurately, money borrowed from somewhere, to be repaid -- perhaps with significant interest -- by your children and grandchildren) is headed to both stimulate the economy AND build the green capacity of our nation.

So it might be important, who knows?

PLUS: As someone involved in green, and a person somewhat familiar with training, you can legitimately cal yourself something of a near-expert on this stuff. As before, you can check out the DOL's 26-page PDF here and the shorter press release (with a long table) here.

14. The Providence Plan (RI), $3.7M. The IBEW is involved here, but so are the carpenters and the plumbers/piper fitters union, the painters, the AGC, and more. The goal is to train 1,600 "low-skilled urban residents of Providence" in green technologies. DOL says 800 of these "will be placed in green energy jobs during the period of performance."

15. Montana Electrical JATC, $5M (including ironworkers, laborers, carpenters, operating engineers, sheet metal workers, pipefitters and plumbers, bricklayers, and more). "Green competency model training plans" are to be completed by 2,450 participants.

16. Communications Workers of America (Ohio), $3.97M. The focus is "developing and delivering a Green Manufacturing Skill Training Certification program." Involved: "1,000 dislocated workers in auto-impacted regions across Ohio" will get "short-term training opportunities in advanced manufacturing" involving "emerging energy-related, energy storage, and clean manufacturing." I think I know what they mean by "auto-impacted," but it might also be interpreted to "people who cause their own toothache."

17. Heritage Health Foundation (PA), $1.4M. "Will follow a flexible 'plug and train' format to respond to employer-driven demand." There will be four training sessions (over 24 months) for 120 people, with the goal of placing "65% of graduates into unsubsidized employment." Not only is the word "electrical" in the project description, I can't find green, energy, sustainable, etc.

18. Thomas Shortman Training Scholarship & Safety Fund (NYC), $2.8M. The CUNY (City U. of New York) Center for Sustainable Energy and High-Performance Buildings Lab is involved, as is the Building Performance Institute, and others. "The Green Building Initiative will train 2,000 building superintendents on how to make large apartment buildings energy-efficient through better operations and maintenance." CUNY also will train 30 building operating engineers "to lay the foundation for a future expansion of green O&M in the city's commercial buildings," and also will train 170 building analysts "to benchmark the energy performance of large buildings." This sounds promising, doesn't it?

19. Memphis Bioworks Foundation (AR & TN), $2.9M. NECA is included as a partner here. 25 participants will get renewable energy training; another 400 get "customized training in solar installation techniques" through three community colleges.

20. ITI of the organized sheet metal industry (CA, IL, MI, MO, OH, NM, TX), $5M. Note: ITI = International Training Institute. The plan here is to have 1,200 sheet metal workers "successful complete customized training and transition into employment in energy-efficient occupations."

21. Labor's Community Action (CO), $3.6M. The IBEW, NECA, and the local NECA-IBEW JATC are involved here. "Green Careers for Coloradans will provide opportunities for incumbent, newly trained, and unemployed construction workers" with the goal "to address worker shortages in the energy efficiency building, renewable electric power, and energy efficient assessment industries." The goal is to place 80% of 1,913 program participants "into unsubsidized employment."

22. Austin Electrical JATC 9AZ, KS, NM, OK & TX), $4.84M. NECA and IBEW are involved here, along with Austin Energy (a significant municipal utility). The idea: "To create a comprehensive National Electrician Solar Training initiative," called C-NEST, which will "combine utility-scale solar installation training design to meet immediate employment needs at solar power plants in Austin and San Antonio with general solar training." The plan is to "place or retain" 672 workers out of 1,000 people "expected to be trained in solar-specific and smart-grid electrical competencies."

23. Community Housing Partners Corp. (VA), $3.87M. Three community colleges and the laborers union are involved here in a project that will "serve" roughly 380 people, with "an estimated 280 participants to complete education and training activities and obtain employment." They are to get "preferred education, work experience, and certifications that demonstrate mastery of energy efficiency practices related to their careers." Sounds un-electrical to me.

24. Broward County Minority Builders Coalition (FL), $3.28M. The IBEW is one of many partners here, with the plan to "train and place" people in one of 5 areas: "Solar thermal system designer/installer; solar PV designer/installer (skilled); solar PV system installer (entry level); weatherization technician/installer; and LEED Green Associate. Of the 1,000 participants, "it is anticipated that 700 will complete education and training requirements and be placed into jobs."

25. Ohio Electrical LMCC, $4.83M. NEC, IBEW and Ohio NECA-IBEW JATCs are signed on to the Ohio Green Renewable Opportunities for Workers (GROWs) partnership here. It will use "19 existing industry training centers" (those JATCs, I would guess) "to provide green skills training to dislocated and incumbent workers in Ohio" -- 1,288 participants. They will "earn nationally recognized certificates from the NJATC as well as college credit through the University System of Ohio." The idea is to help "participants who are dislocated from jobs in the auto industry to explore green careers."

To tally things up: The 12 programs above will get $45.2M in federal funding. At the outside, they'll train (at least initially) 14,451 people. Adding that to our tally from last time, the totals for all 25 programs are more than $99.7M and roughly 35,000 trainees.

Is all of this good? I can't make a call. The IBEW rounded up the programs in which its local programs are involved and came up with one-fifth (more than $20M) going to electrical worker training.

Which leads me to the question: Is "green" just 20% electrical?