Cornell Cooperative Extension of Onondaga County (CCE Onondaga) will provide job training to 120 veterans, many with disabilities, for jobs in environmentally sustainable fields. The program, A Different Shade of Green, is funded with more than $317,000 from the federal stimulus funding, formally known as the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), via the New York State Department of Labor.

"American veterans are facing unprecedented challenges in Onondaga County's volatile economy, and hundreds more will come home to face this reality next year," says Anastasia L. Urtz, executive director of CCE Onondaga. "Yet the reasons to hire veterans are evident -- their resiliency, efficiency under pressure and collaborative abilities. A Different Shade of Green will give them the cutting-edge skills they need to contribute most effectively to our rapidly changing workforce."

CCE Onondaga will lead the program and work in close collaboration with the Onondaga County Veterans Service Agency; the Syracuse VA Medical Center's Vocational Rehabilitation Program; the Veterans Services representatives of the CNY Works-One-Stop Career Center; Onondaga Community College; and other postsecondary institutions in New York state.

The program will consist of 10-week training sessions, followed by monthlong field training programs, which will provide veterans with hands-on experience with green jobs in the community, including jobs in areas of Syracuse experiencing persistent poverty.

Veterans will receive training in basic skills for work readiness, preparation for postsecondary study, and field experience in rural and urban agriculture, food supply and distribution, environmental technology, renewable energy and other green topics of study as well as in budgeting, computing, interviewing and resume building. CCE Onondaga organizers project that at least 75 percent of eligible veteran participants will be able to obtain any or all of the occupational training certificates that are offered and, through partnership with Onondaga Community College and other area colleges, at least 30 percent will pursue related programs in higher education. CCE Onondaga and its partners are planning a Green Jobs Career Fair for veterans in central New York.

"With the breadth and depth of their military experience, veterans can be key players in our emerging workforce, but they must still acquire trade-specific skills to compete in our difficult regional economy," says Urtz. "This program will prepare them for the jobs being created by the green trend and a renewed interest in sustainable sources of food and energy."

So far, Cornell has received more than 106 ARRA grants, totaling almost $92.5 million.