Roots Up Green Jobs

Program Description

Nuestras Raíces received funding for the fiscal year of 2009 from Commonwealth Corporation to launch an exciting green jobs training program for Holyoke youth. As part of a larger Holyoke/Springfield grant, Pathways Out of Poverty, the program has received funds to expand the work to include youth from the Springfield area. The program particularly targets youth who have little education or work experience, and few options for getting onto a successful career ladder. The Department of Youth Services is making referrals from the Community Re-entry Centers and Neighborhood Centers of promising young people who are motivated and committed to making better lives for themselves. Youth Build of Holyoke and Springfield will be making referrals from their programs. Youth stipends for the training are provided by New England Farm Workers Council and YouthWorks of the City of Holyoke.

The Roots Up Green Jobs program will introduce youth to the clean energy industry, and the range of “green jobs” available. They will receive basic training in sustainability fundamentals, energy conservation, and energy efficiency. The program has an experiential approach, offering a number of hands-on work projects out in the community as the participants begin to expand their skills.

Work projects at the Nuestras Raíces farm on Ferry Road focus on sustainable agriculture and landscaping, with gardening, composting and building projects. Students learn weatherization techniques such as air sealing, insulation of pipes, basements and attics, and window and door replacement. At the heart of the program is in-depth training to install residential solar hot water systems.

Co-op Power of Greenfield is coordinating the technical training, and offering opportunities for extensive experience installing the solar boiler systems under the guidance of professional installers and contractors. By the end of the six-month training, each participant will have installed six to eight residential systems of various types. Program graduates will receive a certification upon successful completion of the six-month training.

Several area businesses have allotted a number of solar boiler installation positions that will be available by the end of the trainings. Graduates of the Roots Up program will be given priority for these jobs. In preparation for these job placements, program participants will receive job readiness training with instruction in writing resumes and performing successfully at job interviews.

For more information contact:

Nancy Abdalla, Roots Up Director
(413) 535-1354
nhabdalla@gmail.com