Local residents may get shot at green job training Central Oregon agencies vying for $4M grant to bo
Central Oregon agencies vying for $4M grant to boost employment
By Lauren Dake / The Bulletin
Published: October 08. 2009 4:00AM PST
A federal stimulus grant could create a program to help Central Oregon residents train for environmentally-friendly jobs.
Several Central Oregon agencies have joined forces to apply for $4 million in federal funds to recruit, train and hopefully employ 300 low-income residents from Crook County, Jefferson County and the Warm Springs Indian Reservation.
“This particular grant is for those who are unemployed, have a low income, are coming out of jails or prison, (or) returning veterans,” said Wendy Schechter, chairwoman of the Central Oregon Workforce Coordinating Council. “The point is to get people a job when they finish their training,” she said.
The grant would provide two years of training that includes accelerated tutoring for those who still need to reach a seventh-grade level of reading and math. Next, Central Oregon Community College would offer classroom training to teach skills, such as how to install solar panels, how to conduct an energy audit or how to weatherize a building.
After classroom training, on-the-job training would be offered. Several businesses and agencies throughout the region have said they will support the grant, according to Schechter.
“We have a lot of people who would love to help train these people,” she said.
Every person who participates would have a “navigator” assigned to him or her. This person would prepare the participant for the on-the-job training and assist him or her through the classroom portion of the program by helping with homework or scheduling.
Schechter expects more people to qualify than are able to be part of the program. To determine who can participate, she said, it would likely be first-come, first-served.
About 10 percent of the grant would cover the participant’s basic needs, such as baby-sitting or transportation costs.
The grant is funded by the U.S. Department of Labor. There is $150 million reserved for the nation, making it competitive.
But Andrew Spreadborough, the program administrator with the Central Oregon Intergovernmental Council, who helped write the grant, said it makes a lot of sense that Central Oregon would receive these funds. The winners will be announced in January.
“Central Oregon is probably the most distressed region in Oregon, which is one of the most distressed states in the nation,” Spreadborough said.
“We’re hopeful. It seems like we’re well suited for this grant,” he said.
In 2008, there were more than 51,400 green jobs in Oregon, according to information from the Oregon Employment Department. A green job is defined as a service that increases energy efficiency, produces renewable energy, prevents, reduces or mitigates environmental degradation, cleans up the environment or provides education to do any of the above.
The average wage for a green job in 2008 was $22.61 an hour, according to the Employment Department.
In August, Crook County had a seasonally adjusted unemployment rate of 18.8 percent. For Jefferson County, the unemployment rate was 16.6 percent, according to information from the Employment Department.
That number is even higher on the Warm Springs Indian Reservation, according to Schechter.
“They have a 70 percent unemployment rate,” she said. “It’s enormous. The tribal leadership felt the environmental stewardship aspect of the grant fits their ideals, and training (tribal members) in green jobs was such a good fit. We got enormous support from the tribes, and they will be very active when we get this grant.”
Mike O’Neil, president of SolAire Homebuilders, of Bend, also supports the grant. SolAire homes specializes in green homes. Should the region get the grant, O’Neil said he’s looking forward to helping participants with on-the-job training, from how to insulate a green home, to installing the windows to how siding is put on a green home.
“I thought it was a neat concept, trying to help the less fortunate and ... I think it’s a wonderful industry,” he said.
Lauren Dake can be reached at 541-419-8074 or at ldake@bendbulletin.com.