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Tompkins County committee accepts nearly $500,000 in new workforce grants including renewable energy and youth employment programs
Summary
The Housing & Economic Development Committee unanimously approved a budget adjustment to accept new grants for workforce development, including funds for renewable energy training (OJET), a youth employment initiative tied to violence-prevention grants, and state support for disability resource coordinator training.
The Tompkins County Legislature’s Housing and Economic Development Committee voted unanimously on March 5 to accept multiple new workforce development grants and authorize corresponding budget adjustments.
Chris Spahn, workforce development staff, described three new funding streams: an Office of Just Energy Transition (OJET) award to support renewable‑energy training and pathways from fossil‑fuel jobs; a New York Office of Mental Health grant to strengthen training for disability resource coordinators; and a youth employment program funded through a gun‑violence‑prevention initiative to place youth (ages 14–20) in jobs outside the summer months.
"The goal is to work with...green pathways programs and create a job experience for people when they're done with that program," Spahn said of renewable energy training. On the mental‑health grant he said the funds will be used "to further strengthen the disability resource coordinator program" through trainings and workshops. He also described the youth employment initiative as targeted to young people at risk of gun violence and noted existing summer programs run by the county were a model for expanding opportunities.
Committee members asked whether the awards are new revenue or recurring. County staff said all three funding streams described at the March 5 meeting are new to the county this year. One committee member characterized the combined new awards as "almost $500,000 of new workforce development money" entering the community.
The resolution to accept the grants and adjust the workforce development budget passed unanimously. County staff said the new funds will be used for training, employer partnerships and youth placements and will be managed through the workforce development office's budget and awarded programs. No conditions or special limitations were described beyond standard state grant requirements.
