Knight foundation sending $1.35 million to Philly green tech sector
Grants totaling $1.35 million that are dedicated to creating jobs in Philadelphia’s burgeoning green tech industry were pledged by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation on Friday, according to the organization’s press release.
“I expect Philadelphia will be the nation’s capital of green jobs,” Mayor Michael Nutter said. “Whether you have a GED or a Ph.D., there is a green job for you.”
The grants include a series of new initiatives, like the proposed John S. and James L. Knight Green Jobs Training Center, which will focus on moving low-skilled workers into higher-paying careers focused on green technology. It is scheduled to open in 2010, to be run by the city’s Energy Coordinating Agency and funded by a $1.1 million grant from the Miami-based foundation. The center is planned to be a 20,000 square-foot hub for the best green tech training providers in the country.
The announcement came on the same day Vice President Joe Biden was in Philadelphia to discuss leveraging growing green economies to offer better paying jobs.
