CWA "Green" Grant Provides Job Training for Ohio Workers

CWA is working to help laid-off workers in Ohio train for clean, “green” energy and manufacturing jobs through a new federal government grant.

Workers who lost jobs in auto and auto-related communities across the hard hit state are first in line for the skills training program being funded through a $4 million grant that CWA and CWA/NETT Academy received from the Department of Labor.

Just 15 percent of grant proposals submitted were selected to get a grant, and CWA was one of only 25 organizations and labor unions that won a grant from the department.

“This is tremendous and welcome news for our members who’ve been hit hard by outsourcing, offshoring and the recession,” said IUE-CWA President Jim Clark. “The training that this grant makes possible will lead to good, sustainable jobs and give a thousand families a more secure future.” The program is designed to provide training to 1,000 dislocated workers.

The hiring of instructors has been completed, and the first “pilot” class got underway on Feb. 1. The training is designed to provide job skills in energy related, energy storage and clean manufacturing environments.

Participants can take training courses online or in the traditional classroom, instructor-led setting. Courses offered focus on five work functions for manufacturing and production occupations: safety, quality practices and measurement, manufacturing processes and production, maintenance awareness, and green manufacturing.

Laid off manufacturing workers already have many of the skills necessary for new, greener production processes and manufacturing, said CWA/NETT Administrator Kevin Celata.

CWA/NETT will provide the new training on line. For information, go to http://cwanett.org/.