Logan County to get ‘green jobs training’ money (Updated)
by January 22, 2010 9:00 am 58 views
Logan County will receive a portion of a more than $4.86 million “green jobs training” grant from the U.S. Department of Labor, according to an announcement from U.S. Sen. Blanche Lincoln.
The money, part of an overall $190 million training package announced Wednesday (Jan. 20), will create three “Energy Centers of Excellence” that will develop programss and materials for Arkansas’ 22 two-year colleges and seven apprenticeship programs.
Updated info: The energy centers are planned for Pulaski Tech in Little Rock, Northwest Arkansas Community College and the Stuttgart campus of the Phillips Community College of the University of Arkansas.
Also, there is no direct link between the green jobs training and the auto industry. The Department of Labor, according to Lincoln’s office, wanted to target some of the money to areas that have lost jobs because of the auto manufacturing downturn.
Logan County funds are to be managed by the Western Arkansas Workforce Investment Board.
“Unemployed workers will be recruited for green jobs training programs, and 1,371 of the 2,800 individuals expected to participate in training programs will be placed in energy efficient occupations,” according to the Department of Labor.
Funding comes from the American Recovery & Reinvestment Act, aka the $787 billion federal stimulus bill approved in February 2009.
Cleburne, Desha, Greene and Logan counties will get some of the money because they have a “significant auto industry presence,” according to Lincoln’s statement.