Arbor News - Arbor Education and Training

12/18/2009
Arbor Sponsors the Mega Job Expo in Maryland

12/07/2009
ResCare – New Deal in the UK

12/01/2009
2nd Arbor E&T Bake Sale raises $500 for SHARE

11/25/2009
Notification of Breach of Private Information

11/23/2009
Mon Valley Bridge Open House

11/20/2009
SuperJobs Seasonal Hiring

11/18/2009
National Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week 2009, Allen County

11/16/2009
Arbor Welcomes New Texas Regional Vice President

11/06/2009
A moment to honor our veterans

10/22/2009
Arbor Fights the Flu

10/16/2009
ResCare Comments on Indiana Governor’s Announcement

10/07/2009
In the News: Arbor and Green Guide Network

10/01/2009
Tremendous Project in Cincinnati

9/28/2009
Five Project Directors: Interview Five

9/22/2009
Five Project Directors: Interview Four

9/15/2009
Five Project Directors: Interview Three

9/15/2009
Arbor Sponsors Literacy Gala

9/08/2009
Five Project Directors: Interview Two

9/01/2009
Five Project Directors: Interview One

8/26/2009
Snohomish County Enlarges Dislocated Worker Program

8/20/2009
Pennsylvania Governor Visits Harrisburg Summer Youth Program

8/18/2009
Canoga Park Job and Resource Fair

8/13/2009
VIPs in SuperJobs Cincy

8/12/2009
U.S. Department of Labor’s 2009 United We Serve Initiative Begins

7/28/2009
An Innovative Summer Youth Project in Oregon

7/21/2009
Tulsa iJobs Program in Full Swing

7/17/2009
Green Strategies Workgroup

7/6/2009
Arbor TANF Partnership in Nebraska Receiving Positive Feedback

7/1/2009
Arbor E&T is Thinking Green

Green Strategies Workgroup

By Jamie M. Barnes

Key to ResCare's program of Green Initiatives is organization and research. In mid-2008, the ResCare National Green Strategies Workgroup was formed with five initial members including:

Elizabeth P. Coley, Senior Managing Vice President, ResCare Employment and Training Services Group Support Services
Timothy H. Foster, LCSW CWDP, Vice President of Business Development
Robert Knight, Managing Director, Arbor Care Workforce Institute
Stuart Milk, Vice President Employer and Constituent Relations
Virginia Williams Joyce, Senior Director for Research and Development

Fueled by the rapid evolution of the worldwide green economy, ResCare's Green Strategies Workgroup tracks state and federal policies, forecasts emerging industry trends, and develops approaches to help meet an aggressive agenda. The Workgroup is now morphing into its implementation phase, adjusting objectives, repositioning members, and adding new ones.

Among several initiatives now underway, the Workgroup is piloting a youth green citizenship curriculum that includes tips on living a greener life and a "virtual tour" of ten emergent green industries. It also sponsors internal webinars (Internet-based seminars), a web-based toolbox of green aids, and state-by-state trend analysis.

Working in tandem with sub-groups and area managers, the Green Workgroup is tapping into the most current information to create regional plans. The green literacy curriculum, for example, can be updated and adapted to each region's particular needs. The curriculum includes information about jobs, training, and certifications within "greening" industries.

There are several ResCare green programs already up and running in the youth programs:

In Berks County, Pennsylvania there is an eight-week green construction program featuring classroom and on-the-job training, and a pre-apprenticeship program. Also in Berks, a six-week summer program for in-school youth that focuses on the green occupational cluster. In Pittsburgh, ResCare created formal partnerships with local and national groups for spring and summer green work, including the placement of youth aging out of foster care into AmeriCorps and Rosedale Landscape Block Cluster for internships.

The ResCare Job Corps Initiative has several green projects and curriculums across the US. The projects include composting to support a Job Corps culinary arts program in New York; partnerships with the Home Builder's Institute and Extreme Home Makeover in Arizona; a Healthy Lifestyles Gardening Project in Florida; and the development of Urban Farming Initiatives in Pennsylvania. ResCare Job Corps instructors are trained and certified by the National Center for Construction Education and Research (NCCER) to use their proprietary Green Advantage Program. The NCCER curriculum used by the instructors at the Job Corps Centers is called "Your Role in a Green Environment." Additionally, ResCare is partnered with the Green Career Center in Florida, and is participating in the National Job Corps Green Workgroup.

As the worldwide green economy changes, ResCare's Green Strategies Workgroup will adapt and continue to make additions to its Green Initiatives program. Not only does our program benefit our customers, but it benefits the regions we serve by making them greener, healthier, and more productive.