Free specialized job training course takes place in Springfield this week

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — The City of Springfield is offering specialized Green for Greene Environmental Job Training this week through the Department of Workforce and Economic Vitality.

The program is free of charge and designed for unemployed or underemployed people in Greene County looking to make a career change.

Green for Greene, a training program for environmentally focused jobs for Greene County, is funded by a grant through the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The City has offered Green for Greene courses since 2016. The courses typically include 15 different certifications in environmentally focused jobs, but this week's training course is more specialized. 

By the end of this specialized program, the seven participants will be able to drive commercial vehicles with hazardous and flammable materials. These participants are focused on receiving their HAZWOPER (hazardous waste operations & emergency response) certification. This includes learning the proper way to handle hazardous materials and learning how to use the equipment to do so.  

This week's training will also include professional development help from the City's Department of Workforce and Economic Vitality.

"We'll go over to some career development with resumes, interview techniques," said Katherine Proctor, spokesperson for the City of Springfield's Department of Workforce and Economic Vitality. "Then we will also connect them to employers that are hiring. So that way they have that warm handoff. And once they complete this training, theY have that job waiting for them."

After a full week of classes, hands-on practice and career skill building, participants will continue on to a seven-week online CDL course with a hazmat endorsement. Receiving the CDL with the hazmat endorsement will allow them to haul potentially hazardous and flammable materials like gasoline and propane.

Valerie Ott is the only woman in the class. She says she is thankful for this opportunity and encourages everyone to look into a trade to see if it is right for them.

"First up is certification, and once you have that, you're entering the workforce, so it's nice to feel prepared and be ready for interview, be ready to turn in your resume and just feel like you have everything you need to move forward successfully. 

Jason Meador is also taking the class this week and says Green for Greene was a great opportunity to make a change in his career. 

"Well, I was interested in a career path change, and I looked into CDL driving with HAZMAT endorsement. So thankfully, Green for Greene was available," Meador said. "The people that work for Green for Greene have been very helpful in everything that I need." 

While this specialized training won't be offered again until later on, there will be a typical Green for Greene course offered in June. You can find the application to apply at the City of Springfield's Department of Workforce and Economic Vitality website.