March 22, 2011
Supervisory Training Supports Local Employment
“Workforce Development Institute Partners with MVCC and County LPP”
Oneida County Executive Anthony J. Picente, Jr. today announced a new initiative that will partner New York State’s Workforce Development Institute with the County’s Lead Primary Prevention Program and Mohawk Valley Community College in providing a 32-hour lead abatement supervisory training class for local contractors.
The four day training, which began yesterday and runs through March 24th, is supported through more than 6-thousand dollars in funding provided by the Workforce Development Institute, a not-for-profit organization established in collaboration with the NYS AFL-CIO, and will prepare eleven workers to supervise others on lead abatement projects.
“The partnership we have developed to offer this high-value training locally is essential in insuring that our contractors have the skills required to allow them to bid on government projects and local lead abatement work.. In these difficult economic times when new housing starts are limited, we need to insure that contractors who may be interested in moving into rehabilitation type work, have the necessary job skills to work in a lead safe manner that will protect our communities’ children by reducing their exposure to lead hazards during renovations; and by offering this training locally through our community college, Oneida County contractors will be prepared to compete for jobs and maintain a labor force ready and able to handle lead hazard reduction work,” Picente said.
PIcente said he is proud to announce this partnership which makes the local training through MVCC possible and is gratified by the response. Prior to this offering, contractors had to travel as far as Syracuse to receive the training required to meet the stiffer Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regualtions that went into effect last year.
Oneida County has the oldest housing stock in New York State. Many of the homes, while sturdy and architecturally aesthetic, are covered with lead based paints and require specialized knowledge of lead abatement procedures when under renovation.
For more information on the EPA’s regulations regarding lead paint abatement visit the Oneida County Health Department’s web site at www.ocgov.net or call the Lead Primary Prevention Program at 266-6147.
Oneida County Partners
