GREENCORPS CHICAGO IS NOW RECRUITING FOR 2019 CLASS

Greencorps Chicago, a paid green-industry job training program, is currently recruiting for their 2019 class. Photo Credit: Greencorps Chicago
Greencorps Chicago, a paid green-industry job training program, is currently recruiting for their 2019 class. Photo Credit: Greencorps Chicago

Greencorps Chicago Is Now Recruiting For 2019 Class

BY KATHERINE NEWMAN

Greencorps Chicago, a green-industry job training program, is currently recruiting applicants for their 2019 class. Accepted applicants will have the opportunity to participate in nine months of paid training that will prepare them for careers in ecological restoration, green infrastructure, tree care, and landscaping.

Greencorps Chicago is a paid green-industry job training program organized by the Chicago Department of Transportation in partnership with WRD Environmental. Trainees receive classroom and hands-on training in horticulture, tree care, ecological restoration, and environmental health and safety, according to the Greencorps Chicago website.

“Essentially, we are designed to prepare individuals that have various employment barriers to entering into environmental fields like landscaping, tree care, and ecological restoration. There is a lot of classroom training, but they are able to also get out and work on lots of projects and most of the learning is actually hands-on,” said Andy Johnson, Greencorps Chicago program manager.

To be eligible for the Greencorps Chicago program, an individual must first register for an open house session and once they have attended the open house, they will be invited to submit an application. In order for an application to be considered, the applicant must be at least 18 years old, a resident of Chicago, able to pass on-going drug screens, meet the physical requirements of the work, and be available to work Tuesday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m., and occasionally on Saturdays.

“We are non-exclusive, but we are trying to serve individuals that have had a hard time being successful in the workforce. That could be because they don’t have a high school education or they don’t have a drivers license because they have back fines on their license and we certainly serve the reentry population, probably 80 to 90 percent of our class each year has some kind of criminal background,” said Johnson.

Those that are accepted into the program this year will go on the payroll in late March. Through the Greencorps Chicago training program, participants have an opportunity to earn various certificates and licenses. One in particular that has proven to be valuable is the Illinois Pesticide License, according to Johnson.

“One of the licenses that trainees can earn in this program is the Illinois Pesticide License and if they are able to successfully earn that in our program it opens up a lot of good employment opportunities because it’s a license that not everybody has. We offer a couple of different training programs that come with certificates and licenses, but that one has been particularly beneficial for people looking for work after the program,” said Johnson.

Graduates of the Greencorps program have gone on to work for major companies such as Cardno, Christy Webber, Safety Kleen, and AES and typical job titles include Landscape Maintenance Foreman, Restoration Technician, Driver, Groundskeeper, Pesticide Applicator, and Hazardous Material Technician, according to information on Greencorps Chicago’s website.

For more information about the Greencorps Chicago program visit www.greencorpschicago. org or call 312-746-9777 to register for an open house.

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