Comprehensive Community Solutions receives funding

From press release

Comprehensive Community Solutions, Inc.(CCS) has been awarded a $98,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Labor to develop three green job training programs over the next 12 months.

CCS and seven other Illinois Department of Labor grantees were among 62 grant recipients that will use the funds to offer training opportunities and help individuals acquire jobs in expanding green industries.

U.S. Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis announced nearly $55 million in green jobs grants, as authorized by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. The grants will support job training and labor market information programs to help workers, many in underserved communities, find jobs in expanding green industries and related occupations.

Solis said: “Today’s announcement is part of the administration’s long-term commitment to fostering both immediate economic growth and a clean energy future. It’s an investment that will help American workers do well while doing good. These grants provide an immediate return, and they are part of a larger green initiative that will help lead to increased job placements and promote economic growth.”

As a part of its broader Green Development and Training Center project under development, CCS will work with its partners, local government and business to develop and implement green-collar training programs and partnerships. The programs and partnerships will identify and meet workforce training needs, and create career pathways for low-income residents and other identified populations. These programs will complement CCS’s current YouthBuild training program.

The grant will fund curriculum development, staff training and purchase of necessary equipment to implement the training programs within the next year. Programs will include training in green deconstruction, environmental-brownfield remediation, and weatherization and energy auditing.

Kerry Knodle, executive director of CCS, said: “We are looking forward to moving Rockford and Winnebago County into the new ‘green’ economy, and particularly to bring these training programs to underserved populations. We are looking both at training our existing workforce, but also at finding ways to create jobs and spur economic development in the region.”

CCS is a nonprofit organization in Rockford that operates workforce development, affordable housing and community development programs. Its flagship program—YouthBuild Rockford—works with young adults, ages 16 to 28, who have dropped out of high school, helping them earn their GEDs while they learn job skills and build affordable housing for low-income or homeless families.

From the November 25-December 1, 2009 issue