Groundbreaking Sustainable Jobs Training in Michigan
Participants in the Sustainable Jobs Training Program learn highly-marketable job skills and become advocates for preserving the integrity of older and historic buildings.
Credit: Act Naturally Studios, Kalamazoo
Jobs are tough to find right now, and programs that create sustainable jobs and/or practice sustainability are even rarer.
Luckily for Michigan, that's changing. In a new, first-of-its-kind program, governments and the Michigan Historic Preservation Network (MHPN) are collaborating in Kalamazoo to do both.
Prompted by Michigan's high unemployment rate and by widespread media reports about the energy saving values of replacement windows, MHPN and the State Historic Preservation Office began a conversation about alternatives. Overall, building activity rates are down, and many contractors, architects, engineers, and others who serve this market are either unemployed or under-employed. At the same time, the preservation community knows that historic windows that are in good condition and that are coupled with good storm windows are as energy efficient – if not more so – than replacement windows.
The problem? Not enough people know about window rehab efficiency as an alternative, and not enough people know how to do the work.
The conversation expanded to include the City of Kalamazoo, and together, the groups conceived a solution. In early June 2009, a call went out across the state, attracting over 30 applicants. MHPN and the City of Kalamazoo chose twelve applicants from as far away as Travers City who will receive two weeks of free window rehab job training. When completed, they'll have new, highly-marketable job skills that will help preserve one of Michigan's greatest assets – its historic building stock.
The collaborators are also hopeful that the trainees will be window rehabilitation ambassadors who will help counter the general – though false – belief that the only road to window energy efficiency is through replacement.
Building on its practical preservation training experience, MHPN is administering the Kalamazoo program, with staff assistance from the City of Kalamazoo. Funding for the program is provided through a federal Certified Local Government grant made to the City of Kalamazoo, which is administered by the State Historic Preservation Office.
Nancy Finegood
Executive Director
Michigan Historic Preservation Network
finegood@mhpn.org
517-371-8080
