The Rhode Island AGC and Gilbane Construction partnered with Rhode Island Department of Education, the Community College of Rhode Island, the state’s Workforce Investment Boards and the international unions for laborers, electrical workers, carpenters, ironworkers, painters, plumbers and pipe fitters, to win a $3.72 million U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) grant.
The Energy Training Partnership grants were created as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 and were designed to teach workers the skills required in emerging industries, including energy efficiency and renewable energy.
The Rhode Island group, known as The Providence Plan, has three core objectives:
• Deliver pre-apprenticeship training in green construction for unemployed workers;
• Partner with labor organizations to integrate green training modules into existing apprenticeship
curricula; and
• Upgrade skills of journey level tradesmen in green technologies so the industry can respond to green
construction and renewable energy projects.
The project will deliver a certified pre-apprenticeship model to its participants, while labor organizations will leverage their registered apprenticeship system to cultivate a green-ready workforce and support journey-level upgrades. Employer partners will work to align training with emerging sector needs and implement procedures in which green-certified craftsmen are given priority on energy-related jobs.
The applicants expect the grant will provide training in pre-apprenticeship, green apprenticeship, and journey-level skills upgrades in green technologies for approximately 1,600 low-skilled, urban residents of Providence and place 800 in green energy jobs.
The Providence Plan is one of 25 grantees sharing approximately $80 million in grant funds. Other grant winners are serving a variety of national, state and local communities. Complete summaries of each successful applicant’s goals, partners and scope can be found here.
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