Governor Rell: State Awarded Stimulus Funds

To Identify Green Jobs, Training Opportunities

Connecticut Part of Northeast Consortium to Develop ‘Green Job Bank’

            Governor M. Jodi Rell today announced that regional consortium of eight Northeast states, including Connecticut, has been awarded $3.9 million in federal stimulus funds to develop a “Green Job Bank,” a comprehensive clearing house for careers in emerging environmental technologies and training and educational opportunities.

            In August, Governor Rell directed the state Department of Labor to work with seven other Northeast states to compete for the federal grant. The U.S. Department of Labor notified state officials today that the consortium had successfully secured the grant. The funding will help job seekers as well as high school and college graduates better understand what skills and competencies are required for careers in the emerging green economy.

“Connecticut has always been at the forefront in identifying and fostering the green collar workforce,” Governor Rell said. “These careers are a perfect economic and environmental fit for our future. By working with other Northeast states, we can identify jobs for the entire region and the skills needed to fill them.”

The consortium will serve as a strong complement to Governor Rell’s Executive Order No. 23, which was issued in February 2009 to establish a comprehensive blueprint for green collar job creation in Connecticut. The Executive Order established a Green Collar Jobs Council in Connecticut, pooling the expertise of a number of state agencies, including Labor, Environment and Economic Development and Higher Education.

“Our Green Collar Jobs Council has done the legwork necessary to allow us to respond effectively to funding opportunities such as this stimulus grant,” the Governor said.  “The state also is aggressively pursuing grants in the areas of renewable and sustainable energy, environmental quality and remediation – all with an eye toward increasing opportunities for green jobs and careers in the state.”

Under the guidelines of the grant, Connecticut will work in with Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island and Vermont as well as three strategic partners: the Conference Board; the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce; and a collaboration between the Direct Employer Association, the National Association of State Workforce Agencies and the National Labor Exchange.

Connecticut will lead the development of a regional Web site that will enable individuals, employers and educators to review the consortium’s work. The site will provide users with the types of training that will be needed. Working with the National JobCentral Labor Exchange, efforts will be directed toward introducing an electronic “Green Job Bank” that would include current green employment listings.

The Governor said that two workforce development organizations – Co-Opportunity, Inc. in Hartford and The WorkPlace, Inc. in Bridgeport – will also share in a federal stimulus labor grant of nearly $130,000 to expand training opportunities for “green” building trades.