More than 1,000 Workers will get Certified Weatherization Training

HARRISBURG, Pa., Oct. 28 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Governor Edward G. Rendell today announced that more than 1,000 Pennsylvanians seeking to become weatherization installers, crew chiefs and auditors will receive training through an investment of $1.1 million in federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds.

"Providing access to the education and training our workforce and employers need is essential to our state's economic recovery and long-term strength," Governor Rendell said. "This training, and the careers and services it will make possible, is going to have far-reaching effects, well beyond the classroom and individual opportunities it creates. Tens of thousands of Pennsylvanians will benefit with more energy-efficient homes, lower utility bills and more money in their own pockets."

Six grant recipients will use approximately $871,000 to provide weatherization training to students learning to become weatherization installers, crew chiefs and auditors. Two additional recipients, including Penn College of Technology which developed the statewide weatherization training curriculum, will use $255,000 to provide technical assistance and apprenticeship development to the other six training providers. All funding recipients will help Pennsylvania identify, train and certify workers to complete high-quality energy reduction, conservation and weatherization activities in approximately 29,000 single- and multi-family homes across the state.

The awards and training are part of a joint effort by the departments of Labor & Industry and Community and Economic Development to enhance a Weatherization Assistance Program that will provide training and career-focused employment to Pennsylvania's workforce, create green jobs, improve residential energy efficiency and speed the commonwealth's economic recovery.

Prospective students should contact their PA CareerLink(R) for enrollment information after Nov. 8. Visit www.pacareerlink.state.pa.us to find the nearest office.

For additional information about American Recovery and Reinvestment Act initiatives in Pennsylvania, visit www.recovery.pa.gov.

    Media contacts:
    Christopher S. Manlove, L&I; 717-787-7530
    Barry Ciccocioppo, Governor's Office; 717-783-1116

Editor's Note: A list of grant recipients follows:

Weatherization Training Provider Grants

Adams, Chester, Cumberland, Dauphin, Franklin, Lancaster, Lebanon and York counties:

• $150,000 - Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology
  

Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Fayette, Green, Lawrence, Washington and Westmoreland counties:

• $149,655 - Community College of Allegheny County and International Union of Operating Engineers Local 95
  

Bedford, Blair, Cambria, Clarion, Fulton, Huntingdon, Jefferson and Somerset counties:

• $146,973 - Greater Johnstown Career & Technology Center
  

Bradford, Lackawanna, Luzerne, Monroe, Pike, Sullivan, Susquehanna, Tioga, Wayne and Wyoming counties:

• $132,000 - Johnson College
  

Berks, Bucks (upper), Carbon, Lehigh, Montgomery (upper), Northampton and Schuylkill counties:

• $150,000 - Lehigh Career & Technical Institute
  

Bucks (lower), Delaware, Montgomery (lower) and Philadelphia counties:

• $142,500 - Energy Coordinating Agency
  

Cameron, Centre, Clearfield, Clinton, Columbia, Elk, Juniata, Lycoming, McKean, Mifflin, Montour, Northumberland, Perry, Potter, Snyder and Union counties:

• Contract not yet finalized - Penn College of Technology
  

Crawford, Clarion, Erie, Forest, Lawrence, Mercer, Venango and Warren counties:

• Training provider not yet determined
  

Statewide

Program Development & Apprenticeship Grant:

• $105,000 - Philadelphia Area Labor Management Committee
  

Technical Assistance Provider Grant:

• $150,000 - Penn College of Technology
  

SOURCE Pennsylvania Office of the Governor

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RELATED LINKS
http://www.governor.state.pa.us
http://www.pacareerlink.state.pa.us
http://www.recovery.pa.gov/