Today, U.S. Senators Charles E. Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand announced that PathStone Corporation of Rochester will gain access to $8 million over two years through the U.S. Department of Labor’s Green for Gold project to help individuals find jobs within energy efficiency and clean energy sub-sectors. Funding for the Green for Gold project will be provided by the Pathways Out of Poverty Grants Program under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) and will fund both green job training and evaluation projects. Low income workers will be taught the skills required in high growth industries, including energy efficiency and renewable energy.
“This funding is a win-win for the Rochester area. It creates jobs and improves the quality of life for New Yorkers and their families,” said Schumer. “In tough economic times, it is crucial to the region’s economic health that we invest in clean energy jobs and give our citizens the tools they need to remain competitive. I will continue to push at a federal level to bring Rochester the support it needs to help create jobs and become a leader in the green energy movement.”
“New York manufacturing and businesses powered us through the 20th century, but have been among those hit hardest by these tough economic times,” Senator Gillibrand said. “This federal investment will help give workers in Rochester the skills they need to get back to work and thrive in the new energy economy, and rebuild our economy with new sources of clean, homegrown energy.”
The Green for Gold project will train participants for employment in three energy efficiency and clean energy sub-sectors. The program designed for the Rochester area will focus on deconstruction and specifically on city properties slated for demolition in the area.
“PathStone is thrilled to have been selected by the US Department of Labor to lead this important effort to train the workers that will be needed in the near future by Rochester area business and industry as this region takes its place as a national leader in the “green revolution,” said Stuart Mitchell, PathStone’s president and CEO.
PathStone will focus its attention on individuals who are living near or below the poverty level and who may lack basic literacy and job readiness skills. To assist individuals in meeting these challenges, PathStone will integrate training and supportive services into a cohesive and comprehensive program that will help targeted populations find pathways out of poverty and into economic self-sufficiency through employment in energy efficiency and renewable energy industries.
Funding for this project is provided by the Pathways Out of Poverty grants program, which supports individuals who are living near or below the poverty level and may lack basic literacy and job readiness skills. To assist individuals in meeting these challenges, the Pathways Out of Poverty grants will integrate training and supportive services into cohesive programs that will help targeted populations find pathways out of poverty and into economic self-sufficiency through employment in energy efficiency and renewable energy industries.