Applications are now being accepted for a four week Tri-Green Pre-Apprenticeship Program to be offered by the International Union of Painters & Allied Trades (IUPAT) District Council 57 in Carnegie, PA, in March 2012. The program, which is available at no cost, is designed for persons interested in pursuing careers in green building practices, particularly as they relate to the building trades disciplines of painting, drywall finishing and glazing.
The program is being made possible as a result of a $5.6 million grant awarded to the Finishing Trades Institute of the Mid Atlantic Region (FTI MAR) from the Green Jobs Innovation Fund of the U.S. Department of Labor. The FTI MAR is sharing the grant with the Finishing Trades Institute of Western Pennsylvania (FTI WPA), which includes IUPAT District Council 57’s Training and Apprenticeship Program.

The Tri-Green Pre-Apprenticeship Program is intended for out-of-school youth, unemployed and dislocated workers, and veterans interested in learning more about the trades. It will include class-room and hands-on training which is intended to:

•	Introduce individuals to the construction industry as a whole;
•	Provide training in basic job skills such as communication, problem solving and teamwork as well as in applied building trades mathematics;
•	Familiarize students with a variety of related tools;
•	Facilitate hands-on training in painting finishing, glazing and weatherization, using, among other teaching tools, virtual reality simulators for painting, welding and sand-blasting;
•	Extend college credits; and
•	Support transition into FTI Apprenticeships.

“Green building code education is something that is needed for all of our members,” said Ron Kozain, Director of the IUPAT District Council 57 Training and Apprenticeship Center. “As the regulations for environmentally friendly design increases, we need to educate our members and employers towards a new way of approaching jobs, including green standards for efficiency, sustainability and recycling.”

The one month pre-apprenticeship program will be held in Carnegie beginning on March 19, 2012 at District Council 57’s Training and Apprenticeship Center (101 Ewing Road) and consist of 160 hours of training over a four-week period. It will also be offered at other locations across Pennsylvania, Delaware and New Jersey, including in Harrisburg (April 9 – May 4) and Erie (April 30 – May 25).

Participants who successfully complete the program will receive OSHA 10, First Aid/CPR and Green Advantage certifications. In addition, graduates will receive college credit toward an Associate Degree through Mountwest Community and Technical College as well as an opportunity to transfer those credits and pursue a bachelor’s degree through the National Labor College in Maryland.

To be eligible to register for the program, applicants must:
•	Be at least 18 years of age;
•	Have a valid drivers’ license (or be working towards one); and
•	Have a high school diploma, a GED (or be working towards one).

According to the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry, employment in the construction trades is expected to increase by 14 percent over the next five years. Much of that growth will be in green jobs. Green jobs in the glazing, painting and drywall industries include the use of sustainable materials, a reduction in toxic materials, and retrofitting current facilities for energy efficiency.

For more information about the Tri-Green Pre-Apprenticeship Program or to apply, interested persons should visit www.FTI.edu.

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For more information: Jason A. Fincke: 412-921-9000 November 7, 2011