Today,
United States Senators Charles E. Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand
announced that the Hudson Valley Community College in Troy will receive
$3,497,595 from the Department of Energy. The grant, funded by the
American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), will be used to provide
training to the Northeast Solar Workforce Training Project. It is
intended to address the critical need in New York for qualified energy
system installers.
“As
President Obama saw first-hand when he visited the college, HVCC is
ready to become a leader in the solar energy field and this funding
will help it do just that,” said Schumer. “These federal dollars will
help train students to succeed in the fast growing green technology
industry enabling them to obtain good paying jobs for years to come.”
“This
is a great investment for the Hudson Valley,” Senator Gillibrand said.
“These federal dollars will help us produce more clean, homegrown
sources of energy and create the trained workforce for the jobs of the
future – helping to rebuild our economy for the long term. I will
continue working with Senator Schumer and the entire Congressional
Delegation to make sure New York gets its fair share from the federal
government.”
“Hudson
Valley Community College is pleased that the federal government
recognizes the leadership role we have taken in developing and
delivering training programs in photovoltaic technologies,” said Andrew
J. Matonak, President of the college. “This funding will allow us to
establish a network of certified instructors across the northeast,
which will have a significant positive impact on the photovoltaic
industry and the promotion of sustainable renewable energy.”
The
grant, awarded by the Department of Energy’s Solar Energy Technologies
Program, will enable the HVCC to meet the increased demands that it has
seen and prepare students for jobs in clean renewable energy. In
addition to the HVCC, eight other colleges, universities, and local
organizations have been selected by the Department of Energy to lead
regional solar installation “train-the-trainer” programs. The projects
selected support a national ramp-up and coordinated network of training
programs that will help accelerate the commercialization of solar
technologies.
HVCC
has about 13,500 students and 630 full-time and part-time faculty
members. The college offers more than 70 majors and is the largest
undergraduate college in the Capital Region.