State Initiative Ramps Up Training For Construction, Green Technology Jobs

WETHERSFIELD — Connecticut, a national leader in adopting green building practices, is using a $5.8 million federal green jobs grant to expand the state’s successful Jobs Funnel model in order to train a greater number of new and unemployed construction workers.

While Jobs Funnel training programs exist in Hartford, Waterbury, New Haven and Bridgeport, the grant is expanding the Funnel model to New Britain, Bristol and eastern Connecticut. The $5.8 million Connecticut Green Jobs Funnel Initiative is focused on boosting local hiring by training long-term unemployed and the underemployed, including industry newcomers and benched workers.

The state’s Workforce Investment Boards and the City of New Haven, all partners in the Funnels, are working with the Connecticut Labor Department and the state’s Office of Workforce Competitiveness to develop training programs geared toward green technology and construction skills.

“The first Connecticut Jobs Funnel was launched in 1999 and more than 2,600 of its participants have been placed into employment and apprenticeship training programs,” noted State Labor Commissioner Glenn Marshall. “With an average starting hourly wage of $14.70, the Jobs Funnel program is a national model for training low-income and disadvantaged adults for careers in construction.”

According to the commissioner, the first Funnel program, originally known as the Hartford Construction Jobs Initiative, was cited in a 2010 Aspen Institute report as a successful program in terms of both its operations and outcomes. The report notes that participants achieved substantial gains in their annual earnings in the two years after enrollment when compared to the year before.

The report also points out that the cost per participant, in terms of trainings or placements, is much less than other comparable public programs.

“This grant-funded initiative supports Governor Malloy’s efforts toward job creation, including the Jackson Labs construction project,” Commissioner Marshall said. “The state’s expanded Jobs Funnel program will play an important role to ensure qualified, well-trained workers are in place — an estimated 850 construction jobs are needed for this research center alone.”

The expanded Jobs Funnel program will focus on technical training for green jobs in the skilled construction trades, including carpentry, iron work, electrical, plumbing, sheet metal, painting and allied trades, hazardous materials removal, and solar photovoltaic installation.

In response to local employer demand, training is also provided for green construction-related industries such as brownfield remediation, deconstruction, retrofit, weatherization and energy management.

According to a report from Economic Modeling Specialists, Inc, anticipated green construction investments in Connecticut total more than $1 billion annually, and will result in 19,670 construction industry job openings over the next ten years.

Connecticut Labor Department data also shows a need for trained workers, with projections showing a 33 percent increase in construction industry employment by 2018. Additionally, last month, the Bureau of Labor Statistics released its 2010 estimates for green jobs and in Connecticut, nearly 40,000 positions were considered green.

These jobs accounted for 2.5 percent of the state’s jobs — slightly above the national average.

Overall, the construction industry sector shows the third highest number of green jobs with manufacturing and local government topping the list in terms of green jobs.

“In a recovering job market, we need to have skilled workers ready to fill those in-demand jobs,” noted Commissioner Marshall. “An expanded system of Funnel programs will help create a job-ready workforce, and the local support of workforce boards and cities will ensure that training is targeted to the jobs that need to be filled in those specific areas.”

The commissioner added that expanding the Jobs Funnel will help develop a local, long-term hiring strategy for jobseekers seeking to fill well-paying careers in the green construction industry while statewide training programs will also assist employers grow their companies with a skilled workforce.