It's reassuring when the day after I post on Green Collar thinking and say things are happening here in Vermont but then open my local paper, The Burlington Free Press, page 10 in the Calendar in the Business Monday circular and see evidence supporting my assertions. This Wednesday evening on the UVM Campus, the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 300 is holding a Solar Industry Night from 6-8pm. It's purpose is to educate small business owners and union members and other interested parties in renewable energy training for electricians. At the event, attendees will learn about the training programs and facilities offered by the union to assist in providing additional trained professionals to assist in growing solar industry installations around the state and region. This reinforces what I had learned at a recent Renewable energy conference over a month ago.
I met Matt Lash, the union representative helping to set up this Open House Event at the 2008 Renewable Energy Vermont Conference held October 14-15th in Burlington at the Sheraton Inn and Conference Center. He explained a little about the program and how his local group was committed to furthering job creation in this industry. They had obtained funding to construct training facility at their offices in South Burlington from Vermont Department of Labor Workforce Education and Training grant and Entergy Nuclear-Vermont Yankee. Interesting combination of supporters. There must be a lot of electricians working at our local VT Nuclear plant. It will be interesting to see the impact of programs such as this over the next couple of years as these electricians with new skills seek and hopefully find jobs. Jobs in some cases which don't yet exist.
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