Washington, DC – Congressman G. K. Butterfield today announced $931,500 in federal funding to help train people for “green” jobs in Wilson County.

The Opportunities Industrialization Center (OIC) of Wilson has been awarded a $931,500 grant from the U.S. Department of Labor’s Green Jobs Innovation Fund – a fund established to help workers obtain relevant job training in green industry sectors. This program helps organizations with existing career training programs, like Wilson OIC, provide participants with critical industry-recognized credentials necessary to secure sustainable employment in these new and growing areas.

In partnership with Wilson Community College, Wilson OIC will use the grant funds to train unemployed and dislocated workers in five industries: renewable electrical power; energy efficient building; construction and retrofit; recycling and waste reduction; and manufacturing.

“OIC has effectively served unemployed and underemployed citizens for many years,” Congressman Butterfield said. “This grant will enable OIC to continue helping low-income citizens to help themselves.”

The $931,500 grant is part of a total of $7,960,243 awarded to Opportunities Industrialization Centers of America, Inc. Wilson OIC is one of 16 recipients nationwide.

“OIC of Wilson received great support from several of our local partners to make this grant a reality,” Jones said. “Over the three year duration of this grant, OIC of Wilson is obligated to find, train, and place over 400 individuals into the workforce.”

The U.S. Department of Labor has awarded six organizations a total of $38 million in Green Jobs Innovation Fund grants to serve workers in 19 states and the District of Columbia.