When Robert Richardson and Ralph Veal were presented with the opportunity to be trained for a green collar job, they wanted be in on the ground floor of this emerging market. Â
The work force training program Yonkers Green Connections, sponsored by the Greyston Foundation, is preparing people for green collar jobs, an emerging market ”“ and employers are lined up to take them on.
“What we”™re doing is really offering opportunities for individuals who are hard to employ to come in and receive not just hard-skill training in weatherization, carpentry, electrician, plumbing and other areas, but soft skills as well, and that”™s one of the issues that makes this program so unique,” said Jonathan Greengrass, Greyston Foundation”™s vice president for development.
“What makes this program particularly green is not just the skills that we”™re giving to individuals, but the companies that are looking to hire them are seeing this as a huge emerging market. The individuals themselves are gaining skills, knowledge and understanding on how to weatherize a home in order to reduce the energy costs to that home and increase its efficiency. Then the homeowners themselves benefit; they can then apply for tax rebates for the weatherization upgrades in their home.”
There are 15 students in the current eight-week class that ends in June. The classes take place at Southern Westchester BOCES Center for Adult & Community Services in Elmsford.
The students are learning the basics of building science and job readiness training. There are more than 60 people on the waiting list for the next program, which begins in September.
As for funding, “we have not yet received stimulus money, but we are certainly keeping our eyes open for appropriate stimulus funding as this program grows,” Greengrass said.
Several Westchester employers, including Chris Puleo of Sleepy Hollow-based Green Star Insulation, have already expressed interest in hiring some of the graduates of the program.
“We prepare them to be employed from day one,” said Katherine M. Dukes, job development specialist at Greyston. “From an employer”™s point of view, it”™s exciting to be able to hire someone that they know coming in has been certified as opposed to kind of testing someone on the job.”
Dukes said Greyston is looking for $12 to $20 an hour as a goal for salary of the graduates. Graduation is set for June 11; Greyston”™s annual fundraiser gala will be held June 4 at X2O in Yonkers.
“Greyston”™s commitment to community development has only increased since the bakery first opened its doors,” said Steven Brown, president and CEO of the Greyston Foundation. “What started as a place of employment for the homeless and jobless has grown to serve the multifaceted needs of the Yonkers community through youth programming, community gardens, health care for people with HIV/AIDS, affordable housing and work force development. With this new initiative, Greyston is able to, once again, answer the call for more skills and jobs for a population that needs them.”
