Washington, DC – Representatives Rosa L. DeLauro (CT-03), Chris Murphy (CT-05), and Jim Himes (CT-04) announced today that The Workplace, Inc., Southwestern Connecticut’s Regional Workforce Development Board, will be receiving a grant of $500,000 to provide local veterans with green job training. Areas that will be impacted by these funds include: Bridgeport, Norwalk, Stamford, New Haven, and Meriden.
Part of more than $9 million in competitive grants being distributed throughout 19 states by the Department of Labor, these funds will enable thousands of veterans to acquire valuable new skills in the green energy sector, providing skill assessments, individual job counseling, market information, and on-the-job training.
Established in 1992 by the Connecticut General Assembly, The Workplace, Inc. is one of nine Regional Workforce Development Boards in the state that assesses regional employment and training needs and coordinates workforce development policies and programs to meet them. Specifically, The Workplace, Inc., uses a three-pronged approach combining education, training, and employment to ensure that the needs of both employers and employees are being met. They also focus on individuals who face difficulties in achieving economic self-sufficiency, helping them to acquire the skills they need to be successful.
“I am very pleased that Workplace, Inc. has been selected to receive this funding to help our veterans find and maintain employment in the green energy fields. Green energy jobs are the jobs of the future, and will help to propel our nation and our economy forward,” said DeLauro. “We owe it to our veterans, who have risked life and limb in their service of this country, to ensure that they have the opportunities they need to be successful.”
“Preparing Connecticut’s veterans for the green jobs of tomorrow is a win-win investment,” said Murphy. “I encourage veterans in Meriden to look into this program because it could set them on their next career path while strengthening our state’s growing green energy economy.”
“I was proud to partner with the WorkPlace to help bring Connecticut veterans these much-needed and much-deserved job training opportunities,” said Himes. “Helping veterans build upon their existing talents to transition into the clean energy sector is a smart investment that takes advantage of a skilled workforce and helps our continued effort to reduce our dependence on foreign oil.”