Actus Lend Lease Sustainability Grant Program Helps Secure $500,000 Grant For Veterans

Money will support training and certification for veterans in emerging Green Collar Industries.

Nationwide, thousands of Veterans who are disabled, homeless or economically challenged struggle everyday to find employment. Dealing with challenges they faced while deployed, many continue to experience serious hardships when they return. But now, through the help of a 500,000 grant, awarded by the US Dept of Labor through the Veteran’s Work Force Investment Program, some of these Veterans will be receiving the support they need to help find jobs and improve their quality of life.

The Actus Lend Lease Sustainability Grant team recently received notification that the grant proposal it submitted, in partnership with Operation Stand Down Nashville - a nonprofit organization that helps reestablish veterans in the community, Tennessee State University (TSU), The Actus Community Fund, and Fort Campbell Family Housing, has been awarded for the Veterans Green Collar Job Initiative “Mission Green”. The money is earmarked to help provide advanced green technologies training to Veterans. Nationwide, the program is expected to help 4,000 veterans find jobs in industries such as energy efficient building construction, renewable electric power, biofuels and green vehicles.

As part of “Mission Green”, veterans will receive training in a variety of options such as energy auditors and green maintenance technicians and upon certification, receive a Certificate of Training from TSU attesting to their skills in the subject area related to the ‘green field’ they have chosen. The training will be a combination of classroom and hands-on/onsite training and the Certificate of Training will be accepted nationwide.

In addition to training, each veteran will become a member of an association of builders, contractors, fellow trained veterans and others in the green industry where they will have the opportunity to keep up-to-date on the green industry through newsletters, attend association meetings to network, attend various training sessions and develop relationships within the green industry.

“This grant will directly support those who have sacrificed so much for us,” stated Marc Sierra, Actus Community Fund President. “This training program will allow Veterans, most who have faced some significant challenges, the opportunity to better their lives through continuing education and training. We are thrilled we were chosen as a recipient of this important grant and look forward to seeing how the Soldiers benefit from it.”

Operation Stand Down will receive the money which is part of the U.S. Department of Labor’s Veterans’ Employment and Training Service, and includes a total of $9 million in grants to 22 organizations in 19 states. Under the grants, veterans will receive services such as skills assessments, individual job counseling, labor market information and classroom or on-the-job training.