CONGRESSMAN BOUCHER ANNOUNCES NEARLY $4 MILLION FOR COMMUNITY HOUSING PARTNERS

 Federal Economic Recovery Act Funding Will Establish Program to Train Workers in Cutting-Edge Energy Efficient Construction Techniques

            (Washington, D.C.) – U.S. Representative Rick Boucher announced today that, at his urging, the U.S. Department of Labor, through its Energy Training Partnership program, is providing a federal grant in the amount of $3,865,480 to Community Housing Partners to establish a training program in cutting-edge “green” building techniques. The new program is called CREATES, an acronym for Construction, Retrofitting, and Energy-Efficiency Assessment Training and Employment Systems.

“With the federal funding I am announcing today, a training program will be established throughout the region in energy efficient building. The new program will provide construction professionals in our region with the skills they need to succeed in the industry by offering them opportunities to achieve certifications in energy efficient building and cutting-edge building practices,” Boucher said.

            With the benefit of the federal funds, New River, Wytheville and Virginia Western Community Colleges will train up to 400 students from a 21 county region throughout Southwest Virginia in cutting-edge construction techniques and offer opportunities for students to achieve certifications in “green” building. Additionally, an energy efficiency assessment training program will be established at the New River Center for Energy Research and Training in Christiansburg.

            The CREATES program is a collaboration of several partners including Community Housing Partners, Virginia Tech, New River Community College, NewVA Corridor Technology Council, New River/Mount Rogers Workforce Investment Board, Wytheville Community College, Virginia Western Community College and the Western Virginia Workforce Investment Board.

            “A need exists for construction professionals who are able to cut home and business energy costs through energy efficient building techniques, and the new CREATES program will help meet this need. I am pleased that the Department of Labor has provided federal funding to help establish this worthwhile program," Boucher said.

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