First Graduating Class!

July 9, 2010

Stimulus money trains class at Atlantic County Institute of Technology to weatherize homes

By Diane D'Amico, Press of Atlantic City.com

A state program that provides grants to weatherize and upgrade homes is also funding a project to train people to do the work.  The Weatherization Workforce Initiative's goal is to train 600 people in the skills they need to get jobs with contractors approved by the state to do residential weatherization projects.  The program targets residents in the most distressed areas, including Atlantic and Cumberland counties.  A group of 18 students is completing the first 10-week program held at the Atlantic County Institute of Technology.  For the first five weeks the ACIT staff worked with them to review math and reading skills.  For the last five weeks they built walls and installed windows, doors and insulation.  They will graduate next week.

Former Marine and Iraq war veteran Everett Easton, 27, of Pleasantville, is also taking online classes in criminal justice at the University of Phoenix.  He said he'd like to get into law enforcement, but having the weatherization training will give him the skills to get another job, and work on his own home.

"It makes me more marketable," he said.  "They really showed us how to do it right. "

The New Jersey Department of Community Affairs received $118.8 million from the federal stimulus fund for weatherization projects, with $22.8 million allocated for training and technical assistance.  The New Jersey Building Laborers Training and Apprenticeship Fund got a $2.8 million grant to run training programs in a partnership with the Department of Labor, the state's vocational schools, the Black Ministers Council of New Jersey, and the Laborers International Union of North America Local 55.

To view the article on the Press of Atlantic City.com website, click here.