Florida awarded $1.25M federal grant to survey green jobs

Florida's lead agency charged with spurring employment has received a $1.25 million federal grant to identify and classify the number of green jobs in the state and the skills needed to fill those jobs.

"This grant will further our mission to help strengthen Florida's families and reinvigorate our economy by connecting workers with jobs in this growing sector," Cynthia Lorenzo, director of the Florida Agency for Workforce Innovation, said in a statement Thursday.

The money will be used by the agency's labor market statistics center to collect information on employment levels and expectations of 60,000 Florida businesses. Using data gleaned from the survey, the state will work with companies on designing training programs the meet "opportunities in the emerging green economy."

Part of the grant money will be used to highlight green job openings through the state's online job bank, www.employflorida.com.

The funding is part of $55 million in green jobs grants awarded by the Department of Labor through the federal stimulus plan, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. Details on other grant recipients are available at www.doleta.gov.