RUTLAND, Vt. (WCAX) – Rutland is receiving new funding to help develop its workforce throughout the local area.
The U.S. Department of Labor awarded the Rutland Regional Workforce Investment Board with a 1.25 million dollar grant, hoping to drive the marble city’s economic growth.
The Rutland Regional Planning Commission says the funding will support job growth in construction and clean energy, helping to train local high school graduates for high demand jobs throughout the county at places like the Stafford Technical Center, Casella Construction and the city of Rutland itself.
“In the next five to ten years, we’re going to have people retiring out, and we don’t have people coming online to take those spots, so that’s succession planning and the investment in the workforce now, to get the skills that they need to be able to do those jobs in the near term, super important to make sure our community stays vital and thrives,” Rutland Mayor Mike Doenges said.
The planning commission says funding will support the next three years of summer training and job interviews for youth in the program.