Empower Kingston, with support for Communities for Local Power, is placing Hudson Valley job seekers in green careers as the market becomes more lucrative. RYCOR, a heating and cooling company, has participated in the program since its 2018 start.
“We made the choice about five years ago to be environmental as a company and not be part of the problem,” said Scott Arnold, owner of RYCOR HVAC.
What You Need To Know
- Empower Kingston Green Job Programs partners with 10 Hudson Valley-based companies and places trainees with local employers for eight weeks of on-site work experience
- Applicants are required to be 18 years old and eligible to work in the United States
- Comptroller DiNapoli announced in February that the green jobs sector of the state grew by 1 million jobs in the past two years
His company is just one of many prioritizing greener lifestyles, including career choices. New York Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli stated in a February report that the state of New York created one million green jobs over the past two years.
The only requirements for applicants is that they must be older than 18 and be eligible to work in the United States.
Empower Kingston is helping place people in green careers with the eight-week boot camp and giving them firsthand experience.
“We want to get people more actively involved in the green community,” said Jackie Martin, coordinator for the Communities of Local Power. “They’ll be at the job sites Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, then receiving free, online, training Thursday and Friday.”
Empower Kingston is welcoming applicants in any stage of their professional career.
“We are looking for women; we are looking for people who are unemployed; we are looking for people who are looking for a job change and people who are curious and passionate about the green energy workforce,” said Martin.
While still accepting applications, the program is set to begin on July 30, with two-week rotations at participating companies. Applicants will work on projects that range from geothermal engineering to painting to plumbing or HVAC.
“Empower Kingston is a near and dear project to me because they reach out to community members that are looking for an opportunity to get into green energy, and I feel like we all need to be better custodians of the earth,” said Scott Arnold, owner of RYCOR HVAC.
“It’s kind of like a ‘try it before you buy it’ approach. They get to try this industry to see if they like it, and it if they like it, they can commit to it, and we love being able to turn these applicants into long-term coworkers,” said Arnold.