“[This funding is] an investment that will help American workers succeed while doing good. Our outstanding award recipients were selected because their proposed projects will connect workers to career pathways in green industries and occupations through critical, diverse partnerships.”
>> Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis, announcing green jobs funding last month
Training participants who complete a curriculum focusing on recycling, waste reduction, reducing water use, energy efficiency, and worker health and safety will receive nationally recognized certificates that will prepare them to move up the green jobs career ladder.
“I’m very proud to be part of this,” said Oscar Gonzalez, a custodian at LAC+USC hospital. “Green jobs are the wave of the future.”
Two other grants of $900,000 each—of which WERC will receive $500,000—will create a regional labor/management partnership for a city-wide health care career development program funded by the Los Angeles Workforce Investment Board (LAWIB) with American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) funding. Both grants will provide educational opportunities leading to higher skilled health care professions, with one focusing specifically on services and training for residents of South Los Angeles.
Partnering organizations who will share the remaining $1.3 million in grant funding include the Los Angeles Community College District, Kaiser Permanente Labor Management Partnership, St. John’s Well Child and Family Center, Northeast Valley Health Corporation, SEIU UHW-West, long-term care employers and SEIU ULTCW’s Homecare Workers Training Center.
SEIU 721 Executive Director John Tanner said the funding will make a difference for health services workers, employers, and the community at large.
“These grants will help health care workers gain new skills and advance in their careers, with the end result being improved quality and community access to care in the public health safety net system.”
For information about training opportunities, call the Los Angeles Healthcare Workforce Development Program at 213-639-2220 or go to http://www.hcwdp.org.