Mayor Domenic J. Sarno, the City of Springfield Office of Housing and the MassHire Hampden County Workforce Board (MHHCWB) are co-sponsoring a construction training course for unemployed individuals as part of the City’s new Healthy Homes Program. The course is free of charge and will amount to 190 hours of classroom and “hands-on” shop training. The early evening training begins in September 2019 and ends in December 2019.
Mayor Sarno stated, “This is not only about enhancing our housing stock and developing workforce skills, but just as important, it’s about putting our people to work.”
The primary focus of the training will be Construction skills and property maintenance, but it will introduce concepts of de-leading, mold abatement, energy efficiency, and worksite safety. Upon completion of the course, workers will be more competitive for positions on construction crews, as a carpenter’s’ helpers, or in property maintenance. Participants will also be trained as certified lead-safe workers and EPA/Mass Lead Renovation, Repair and Painting workers through the modules led by ATC Group Services of West Springfield.
Participants must reside in eligible neighborhoods within the City of Springfield, including Brightwood, Old Hill, Upper Hill, Six Corners, Memorial Square, Metro Center, South End, and portions of Liberty Heights and Forest Park. Instruction will take place at Putnam High School during the after-school hours from 3:00 to 6:00 p.m.
Individuals who are interested may contact Lesley Hoffman at lhoffman@masshirespringfield.org or (413) 858-2819. Masshire Springfield is located at 1 Federal Street, Building 103-3, Springfield, MA 01105.
This workforce training initiative is aligned with the City of Springfield’s new Healthy Homes program, a whole-home housing rehab program that will focus on home energy efficiency and environmental safety for residents. Eligible homeowners may apply for a 0% interest, forgivable loan, the funds from which would be used to complete a wide variety of home improvement jobs that will bring old homes up to City code.
For more information about the Healthy Homes Program, please contact Nigel D. Greaves, Senior Program Manager, Healthy Homes, at ngreaves@springfieldcityhall.com or (413) 886-5050.