Federal Funding Will Provide Significant Boost for Job Training in Bridgeport, Conn. (CT)
(Boston, Mass. – Aug. 26, 2011) –
A team of federal agencies today highlighted coordinated work that
is ongoing in Bridgeport, Conn. which is helping to train workers
and create jobs that will be the foundation for economic recovery
in the City.
Under the Partnership for Sustainable
Communities, President Obama directed the Dept. of Housing and
Urban Development (HUD), the Dept. of Transportation (DOT) and U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to work closely together to
create more livable cities. In Bridgeport, these three agencies are
also working closely with the Dept. of Labor (DOL) who is also a
key stakeholder and partner in creating sustainable
communities.
Dept. of Transportation
(DOT)
Bridgeport was awarded an $11 million grant
under the US DOT’s TIGER Grant program (Transportation
Investment Generating Economic Recovery). This grant will help
prepare the harbor-side of Steel Pointe for development by funding
infrastructure improvements, and will be matched by an $18 million
contribution by developer Bridgeport Landing LLC. The project will
improve roadways along Route 130 and Route 127 within the City of
Bridgeport, and will include roadway reconstruction, traffic signal
upgrades, separation/reduction of site drainage, and inclusion of
bikeways, enhanced landscaping, and pedestrian connections to the
surrounding neighborhoods, Bridgeport’s Downtown Intermodal
Transportation Center, and the public water front.
Department of Housing and Urban Development
(HUD)
The Department of Housing and Urban Development
(HUD) has provided Bridgeport with part of a $3.5 million
Sustainable Communities grant, which will pay for a feasibility
study into a potential new train station on the East Side and
benefit the New York City to New Haven corridor. HUD also
coordinates an ongoing weatherization program underway in
Bridgeport at the Fireside Apartment complex. This work is being
done by DOL YouthBuild students as apart of their weatherization
training program. The WorkPlace, Inc. also has students involved in
this project.
"Here in Bridgeport we see just how powerful
partnerships at the federal, state and local level can be in
creating jobs, saving energy and linking transportation to
neighborhoods. HUD is proud to be a partner in building strong,
sustainable communities throughout New England," said Barbara
Fields, HUD New England Regional Administrator.
Department of Labor (DOL)
The Dept. of Labor recently announced $11.3
million in green jobs grants for Connecticut. The funding is
authorized under the Workforce Investment Act and awarded as part
of DOL’s Green Jobs Innovation Fund. DOL is also funding and
organizing a connection with Youth Build which is doing energy
efficiency upgrade work at Fireside, 248-units of single story,
wood frame multi-unit buildings in Bridgeport.
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA)
EPA announced a grant of $300,000 to WorkPlace
Inc., which is working to train workers in Bridgeport. The
WorkPlace plans to train 51 students, place 43 graduates in
environmental jobs, and track graduates for two years. The training
program will consist of a three-week, 126-hour core training and
one of two additional training clusters (either on brownfields and
environmental remediation, including lead and asbestos abatement,
or on solid waste management, including deconstruction, debris
collection, recycling and leadership courses). Green Team. Students
will be recruited from unemployed, low-income, dislocated worker,
or in-need residents of Bridgeport. The WorkPlace will work with
local environmental employers and trade unions to place graduates
in environmental jobs. The funding, from EPA’s Brownfields
program, is part of an ongoing EPA effort to help create
good-paying, skilled green jobs in New England. EPA’s
Environmental Workforce Development and Job Training Grant Program
helps train skilled workers in local communities who can provide
ongoing benefits to their cities and towns by creating businesses
and protecting human health and the environment.
“Promoting green job creation is an
important element of a growing economy, especially in tough
economic times like these,” said Curt Spalding, regional
administrator of EPA’s New England office. “This EPA
Brownfield Job Training grant will help Bridgeport build a strong
and sustainable economy.”
"I'd like to thank President Obama, our
Congressional delegation and all of the federal agencies that have
collaborated to bring thousands of dollars in funding to our City
that will help provide training and create jobs for our residents.
With your help, and our City's commitment to sustainability, we
will drive Bridgeport forward as a hub for the new 'green'
economy," said City of Bridgeport Mayor Bill Finch.
"This funding will help ensure that employers
have a trained, local workforce. We are grateful to the EPA for
this opportunity and look forward to continued collaboration with
the City of Bridgeport and community organizations throughout the
region," said Joe Carbone, President & CEO of The WorkPlace,
Inc.
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