DeLauro Praises Local Veterans on Green Job Training Program

New Haven, CT – Congresswoman Rosa L. DeLauro (CT-3) visited the CTWorks Career Center in Derby today, where she learned about the education, training, and employment opportunities available to local citizens. Specifically, the Congresswoman visited to highlight the Veterans Workforce Investment Program, which is part of The Workplace, Inc., and focuses on training veterans in the green energy sector.

The Workplace, Inc. is one of nine Regional Workforce Development Boards in Connecticut that assesses regional employment and training needs, and then coordinates workforce development policies and programs to meet them. The WorkPlace, Inc. was recently awarded a $500,000 grant, the second in three of such grants totaling $1.5 million, from the Department of Labor to help train local veterans in the new green energy market, assessing the skill they may have already obtained during their service, providing counseling, information on this new business sector, and on-the-job training.

The CTWorks Career Centers, which are also part of The WorkPlace, are employment resource centers that provide access to education, training, employment, and information needed at a single location. Congresswoman DeLauro was joined at CTWorks by Joe Carbone, President of the Workplace, Inc., Susan Giordano, President of the Institute for Environmental Management and Technology (IEMT), who has partnered with The WorkPlace for over ten years, and Michael Frownfelter, a recent graduate of the Weatherization Program, and Building Analyst Class of IEMT.

"The WorkPlace and CTWorks have served our local citizens for years, and their work with veterans is yet another shining example of their dedication to helping our local businesses and workers. Our veterans deserve every opportunity to ensure that they can be successful in the workplace, and the efforts to train, educate, and place them in the new green energy sector is extraordinary. Green jobs truly are the jobs of the future, and I am certain that the skills our veterans learned during their service will translate well in this new field," said Congresswoman DeLauro. "I look forward to seeing these veterans succeed in their new roles, and to Connecticut's local businesses benefitting from such a talented workforce."