For Information Contact:

David Mathis
798-5908

Eannace: Jr. Green Team Offers Youth
Education, Experience, Opportunity
Outreach, Recruitment Planned for Friday, Feb. 7th

Oneida County Executive Ralph J. Eannace, Jr., today invited young people in need of a new chance at opportunity and education to an informational outreach meeting of the Junior Green Team Program scheduled for Friday, February 7th, from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. at the Cornerstone Building on South Street in Utica.

"The Junior Green Team provides work-based learning that will provide young people who are not currently in school with the skills they need to gain full-time employment in our area," Eannace said. "This program works with young people as individuals, and tailors our program to meet their needs – so they can receive a GED, learn skills in some of our growing occupations and build a record of work experience that will help them find a job."

Eannace noted that Green Team participants earn while they learn. "We want young people to succeed. Today’s teen-agers are the workforce of the future. We hope to work with every young person we can so that they will have a second chance at equipping themselves for a better and brighter future. We have some openings left in the program, and I encourage young people to sign up today before these slots are filled."

The Junior Green Team program, which is administered by Oneida County Workforce Development, is funded through a grant from the New York State Department of Labor to the Workforce Investment Board (WIB) of Herkimer, Madison and Oneida Counties.

Junior Green Team participants mix classroom and workplace learning to gain experience in occupations related to environmental careers.

Green Team members will be conducting beautification projects to improve the community and assist not-for-profit groups. Any agency interested in being a work site for the Green Team should contact Program Director Lydia Dedner at 735-7525, extension 226.

"The Junior Green Team is a great place for any young person who is looking for a new direction in his or her life," said Oneida County Office of Workforce Development Director David Mathis. "This program mixes classroom education that helps young people learn about the world of work and their potential careers as well as worksite experience that helps them acquire skills our employers want and need. We work with our Green Team members to help them get a GED because a high school diploma is so important to their eventual success."

"The future of the Mohawk Valley is linked to the skills and work ethic of the young people who will be out workforce of tomorrow," Eannace said. "Through the Junior Green Team, we are giving young people a path to success."