Where New Yorkers Can Learn Demanded Professions for Free: List of Organizations

Being green is easy with local programs that provide free training to fill many jobs in New York City's fast-growing environment and sustainability sectors. New York Post.

According to the report LinkedIn Global Green Skills Report 2022, over the past five years, the number of jobs in the US in the field of renewable energy has increased by 237%.

Green City Force, the non-profit organization AmeriCorps in Bedford-Stuyvesant, is joining this project. They educate people aged 18 to 24 with high school diplomas who live in the New York City Housing Authority. The training lasts for several months.

The program includes classroom teaching and community green infrastructure projects. Its participants receive a $900 stipend twice a month. Free monthly MetroCards are a bonus.

Through the program's Career and Alumni Services department, participants meet employers and find jobs. They usually get paid $17 to $30 an hour to get started. Some receive annual salaries of up to $90 as project managers.

Joshua Owens, 30, director of social enterprise operations at Green City Force, manages government contracts in various areas. He himself first took part in the program in 2014.

“I was shocked,” he said. “There was so much information about sustainability in all areas: energy, water conservation, urban agriculture, building gardens.” The program has empowered him as he can now work in any industry based on his technical skills.

The course pays tribute to the environment.

Last year, 28-year-old Gary Lambert competed in NYC CoolRoofs. This is a free program from the New York City Department of Small Business Services that offers training, certification, and employment to install energy efficient reflective roofs.

Since its inception in 2009, the company has covered 11 million square feet of New York's rooftops in heat affected areas to reduce rooftop temperatures, lower interior temperatures, reduce carbon emissions and improve air quality.

“It helped me get Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) certifications, job site safety training. And also learn how to provide first aid and artificial respiration, - said a resident of Fort Greene. “It gave me the necessary tools to become a sought-after specialist.” Previously, he worked in the maintenance of residential skyscrapers.

In addition to learning about green infrastructure and installing steep rooftops, Lambert developed close ties with his 28 colleagues and executives. New Yorkers aged 18 and over, unemployed or part-time workers are eligible to apply. But they must meet requirements such as the ability to carry 50 kg buckets.

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Participant salaries vary by position, but typically start at $15 an hour. The goal after the end of the program is to go to work by connecting to the system of the virtual career center Workforce1.

In August, Lambert was hired as an assistant HR consultant for a workforce development organization. the HOPE Program. It offers New Yorkers vocational training, skills development and employment opportunities. “What I liked the most was how supportive the people inside the program are,” Lambert said. “They are always teaching. It's more than just a program, it's a family."

All of these organizations are a boon to members, the environment, and New York.

“Our CoolRoofs program educates New Yorkers and gets them good jobs. It also helps rebuild the economy while advancing the city's environmental goals,” said Kevin D. Kim, commissioner of the New York City Department of Small Business Services. “This program helps reduce energy consumption. And help New York move closer to carbon neutrality by 2050,” he added.

Jason Feifer, Editor-in-Chief of Entrepreneur Magazine, says these kinds of programs are incredibly important.

“They fill an important gap in economic transitions,” he said. “We need to educate people in new industries. Because where there is growth, there will be opportunities and demand for great talent.”

Feifer said it was a win-win situation. “We will be doing a huge service to the workforce, the economy and the Earth by making sure people are prepared for the job.”

This is also good news for people who want to forge a new path.

For example, 54-year-old Susan Erler, a resident of Roslyn Heights, Lee. After nearly 11 years as a database administrator, she became a certified welder.

She is currently studying at Farmingdale State College for a dual bachelor's degree in architecture and construction management.

Erler also signed up for their free five-week course to become a wind turbine technician. She will receive a microloan in the spring of 2024.

“We studied the details of the turbine, took a safety course, learned how to maintain the turbine. We also studied circuits and troubleshooting for two weeks,” Erler said. At the end of each module, she was tested and received certificates of completion.

Erler wants to incorporate these green building skills and protocols into his next job. “I am open to any direction,” she said. “There is so much going on here.”