Matsui Announces Over $850,000 in Federal Grants to Train 150 Sacramento Workers for Green Jobs
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
CONTACT: MARA LEE
(202) 225-7163
Matsui Announces Over $850,000 in Federal Grants to Train 150 Sacramento Workers for Green Jobs
CA Today, Congresswoman Doris Matsui (CA-05) announced that the Sacramento Center for Employment andamp; Training (CET) has received approximately $854,000 in grant funding through the U.S. Department of Labor's Green Jobs Innovation Fund. CET will train 150 workers in Sacramento for green jobs in partnership with the Sacramento Works One Stop Career Center.
I am thrilled that Sacramento has been awarded this grant that will not only help put 150 people back to work, but also continue our region's growth as the Clean Tech Capital, said Congresswoman Matsui. This type of innovative grant, that strengthens our economy while advancing a new sector of it, is exactly what we need to continue on the path to recovery and remain competitive in the future.
CET is a non-profit organization dedicated to fighting poverty and helping people get back to work. The organization provides hands-on job training to youth and adults of all education levels and backgrounds, especially those most in need and hardest to serve. The Sacramento CET trains over 200 people per year and place about 80 percent of their graduates into immediate employment.
In 2009, CET received funding through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to train workers as solar thermal systems installers, weatherization and retrofitting technicians, and HVAC maintenance repairers. Today's grant will allow CET to continue to build upon the success of these three programs, and enable the program to ready more workers for a green jobs economy.
CET is extremely grateful for this grant award, which will enable us to continue our green jobs programs, said Carlos Lopez, Director of Government Affairs for CET. As we work to prepare individuals for success in the job market, we are constantly looking to the sectors where we are seeing the most growth; in the Sacramento region especially, that is the clean energy field right now. We thank Congresswoman Matsui for her support of our grant application, and for her work to make our region the Clean Tech Capital, and look forward to putting these funds to great use.
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