"There is a green revolution coming," Congressman Tim Ryan said. "And we are going to be a part of it. We are going to shape it."
It is something that Ryan has been saying for some time. Now the Mahoning Valley is trying to position itself as a leader in Ohio in green job training.
The Electrical Trades Institute has dedicated a new windmill and four solar panels at their Champion Township Facility, paid for by a grant from the Wean Foundation.
"The wind and solar are training modules," said Mark Catello with the I.B.E.W Local 573. "Our goal is to train 50-percent of our workers. Right now we've hit 30-percent, which we are pretty proud of. We are hoping to continue with our training with this additional grant. The state of Ohio received $4.8-million."
That money came from federal stimulus dollars and will be used to train workers on Green Jobs. The Trades Institute is one of only two wind energy training sites in the state of Ohio—the other is in Toledo—but it is something that will soon be in high demand.
"Over $2-billion is committed already," said Frank Piatt with the National Electrical Contractors Association. "Six wind farms are going in, all in western Ohio. Champagne County, being one of the first ones in Mansfield. And that means we have got to get people trained."
This goes along with a strategy that Ryan has been pushing to bring new jobs to the Valley.
"We're positioning ourselves to have the workforce trained, and the technology driven out of our area, through our incubator to really shape the green revolution that is coming," Ryan said. "We are not going to sit on the sidelines for this."
