Udall: Santa Fe Community College to Receive $300,000 for Clean Energy Job Training

Funding will Help Unemployed Veterans and Native Americans Gain Job Skills

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Tom Udall (D-NM) today announced that Santa Fe Community College will receive $300,000 for environmental workforce development and job training.

The funding comes through the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and will be used to teach job skills to unemployed veterans and Native Americans in fields with an environmental benefit.

"This is a worthy investment to develop New Mexico's workface and economy," Udall said. "It's an opportunity, specifically, for homeless veterans and Native Americans to learn life-changing job skills in order to pursue work in the burgeoning clean energy sector of our economy."

Santa Fe Community College (SFCC) will use the grant funding to train participants in solid waste management, energy efficiency technologies and renewable energy preparation and installation. It will also offer training in hazardous waste operations and emergency response training and underground storage tank leak prevention, construction and demolition waste recycling and renewable energy technologies awareness. After 180 hours of training, the recruits will be placed in environmental jobs in the area.

SFCC has established a Sustainable Technologies Center that integrates 21st century trades with advanced technologies and "green" curricula to promote a sustainability economy. The center will be located in the college's new Trades and Advanced Technology Center building, which opened in May.

"I want to congratulate SFCC President Sheila Ortego and her staff for their hard work and success in applying for this grant. The funding will help to advance the mission of SFCC and build a new workforce that will be able to keep up with the ever-growing environmental and clean energy fields," Udall said.