Daily News

Grants Awarded for Workforce Development, Job Training

SPRINGFIELD — In July 2014, the city of Springfield issued an RFP soliciting proposals from providers for job training and workforce development. As a result of this solicitation, the city is awarding a total of $250,000 in HUD Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) funds to three separate agencies to provide job-training and workforce-development programs to residents of disaster-impacted neighborhoods.

There will be a special focus on recruiting residents of the Six Corners and South End neighborhoods, as the residents of these neighborhoods face multiple barriers to employment, and both areas were heavily impacted by both the long- and short-term effects of the natural disasters that occurred in 2011. Training Resources of America will receive $85,100; Springfield Technical Community College will receive $94,449; and Window Preservation, LLC, in partnership with the Hampden County Sheriff’s Department, will receive $70,451.

“Providing education and job training to our residents is vital in our efforts in knocking down poverty and crime,” said Mayor Domenic Sarno. “Whenever we can step up and provide opportunity, it is a win-win for us all.”

The city anticipates that the contracted organizations will provide training to a minimum of 100 Springfield residents. The programs will involve a variety of educational instruction subjects, including high-school-equivalency preparation, English language, math, computers, customer service training, and more. The varied programs will prepare and enable trainees to obtain permanent positions in fields such as educational and health services, food service, leisure and hospitality, social assistance, wholesale and retail trade, financial and business services, insurance and real estate, office and administrative support, accounting, bookkeeping, payroll services, legal services, advertising, manufacturing, asbestos/lead abatement, and construction.