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Neighborhoods | July 4, 2010

Philadelphia wins green jobs training award

Gloria Blakely's photo
Philadelphia Charity Examiner

Philadelphia accepts Mayors/Wal-Mart Green Job Training Award.                        Photo: ECA
Philadelphia’s commitment to weatherization and saving energy in area homes has become a lightning rod for awards. This year alone the city won a $25 million energy efficiency grant from the U.S. Department of Energy, weatherization partnership grant from ExxonMobil, and a $1 million award from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation for green job training. Its latest award amounts to $500,000 from the U.S. Conference of Mayors and Wal-Mart Foundation.
 

The Mayors/Wal-Mart Green Job Training Award is helping develop the Philly Gears Up for the Green Economy program, a pilot green job training program targeting high school students, and dislocated and incumbent workers. Training will take place at the John S. and James L. Knight Green Jobs Training Center located at 106 W. Clearfield Street. The center offers 18,000 sq. ft. of renovated space for state-of-the-art training in weatherization, such as polyurethane foam insulation and white roofing coating; residential energy audits; and safety procedures for working around lead in homes. 


John S. and James L. Knight Green Jobs Training Center.                          Photo: ECA

“This project is an all-around winner for Philadelphia,” states Sallie Glickman, CEO of the Philadelphia Workforce Investment Board. “New workers will be trained in emerging skills, meeting the workforce demand among entrepreneurial businesses looking to be on the leading edge of our City’s response to new energy efficiency measures. This will spur real economic expansion and demonstrate once again that an investment in green jobs is an investment in our future.”

The Philly Gears Up for the Green Economy program evolves from a partnership between the Philadelphia Workforce Investment Board, the Energy Coordinating Agency, and the city. It provides employment hope for young new workers and the under-served population in the city.
 
High school students entering the training program can receive credits toward Associates’ Degrees at the Community College of Philadelphia upon graduation the Philadelphia school district. Recent high school graduates from the school district who enter the program may be eligible for 50% tuition reimbursement by employers.

Green, energy efficiency jobs are growing in Philadelphia.               Photo: ECA

 Philly’s commitment to green is part of a larger effort at the federal and state level stimulating green job sectors. Pennsylvania estimates between this year and 2012, $10 billion will be invested in the state's green economy from public and private sources. This investment is projected to stimulate 115,000 green jobs in Pennsylvania.

 “The U.S. Conference of Mayors, through its Green Jobs Taskforce is providing,” says Matt Kisler, senior vice president of Sustainability of Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., “leadership, advocacy, best practices, and technical assistance to mayors and cities across the country to ensure that we, as a nation, are poised to successfully build the green economy.”
 
Video of U.S. Vice President Joe Biden discussing green jobs
 
 
Joining the green trend in Philly could be as simple as contacting the John S. and James L. Knight Training Center or the Energy Coordinating Agency. ECA is offering contractors a free Intro to Energy Works Seminar on July 15 from 8 a.m. – 11 a.m. Call 215.609.1040 to register for the seminar. 
For more info: visit http://www.ecasavesenergy.org/training or call the training center at 215.609.1450 or ECA at 215.988.0929.

All rights to article are reserved by Gloria Blakely. Copyright 2010.

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Philadelphia Charity Examiner

Gloria Blakely is a journalist, book author, and Philadelphia award-winner. A giver at heart, she makes it easy for other givers to have fun with...

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