Origionally Published in
Long Island Business News: May 15, 2013
Written by
Claude Solnik
The United Way of Long Island is building a science lab used to train students in energy efficiency with the help of $250,000 in funding through the Long Island Regional Economic Development Council.
The funding, approved through the second round of Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s Regional Council Initiative, will be used to build a two-story “lab-house” to provide students with energy-related training and certification programs.
Lab houses are built so the structure becomes a building-science laboratory, demonstrating energy loss and other problems used to train students in energy efficiency.
Kevin Law, president of the Long Island Association and co-chairman of the Long Island Regional Economic Development Council, said the project would help provide a “cohesive education and workforce training strategy to retool New York’s workforce.”
Stuart Rabinowitz, president of Hofstra University and council co-chairman, said “a clean-energy, skilled labor force is essential as we continue to build the next generation workforce in New York State.”
The lab house will be used by participants in YouthBuild, serving low-income, out-of-school, unemployed young adults between age 18 and 24, and VetsBuild, serving returning veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan.
Industry professionals also can obtain continuing education units through training programs at the lab house.