UTICA — Mohawk Valley Community College (MVCC) will use a $25,000 donation from the Dominion Foundation to start the veterans environmental training (VET) project. Stan Ossowski, manager of the Dominion Foundation in New Hartford, presented the donation to MVCC President Randall VanWagoner and Frank DuRoss, VP for community development and executive director of the MVCC […]
UTICA — Mohawk Valley Community College (MVCC) will use a $25,000 donation from the Dominion Foundation to start the veterans environmental training (VET) project.
Stan Ossowski, manager of the Dominion Foundation in New Hartford, presented the donation to MVCC President Randall VanWagoner and Frank DuRoss, VP for community development and executive director of the MVCC Foundation, during a ceremony held on Oct. 17.
“This year’s Dominion grants will support a variety of innovative programs encouraging students to learn the skills needed to tackle real-world issues,” Ossowski said in an MVCC news release. “They will help students gain knowledge and experience with technologies that are leading the way to a greener energy future.”
“MVCC was founded 70 years ago after [World War II] and has supported veterans ever since,” VanWagoner said in the same news release. “This generous donation allows us to provide outstanding environmental training and will give veterans the skills they need to find work in high-demand areas within the region.”
The Foundation considered four hundred grant applications, MVCC said.
Besides New York, recipient schools and educational organizations are located in Connecticut, Maryland, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia.
About VET
VET will assist veterans who have “low incomes and high potential” by providing them certifications and training, MVCC said.
The training topics include OSHA 10, which provides training on construction safety and health topics.
They also include HAZWOPER 40, which provides occupational health and safety training to technical/field personnel.
In addition, training on lead abatement will focus on lead-safe work practices and remediation.
The training topics also focus on “leaking underground storage-tank site assessment” training to prepare participants for “small-scale” brownfields, such as gas stations, in the city of Utica.
“Through the generosity of Dominion Foundation, we’ve launched Project VET as a real-world solution to meet real community needs,” DuRoss said in the release. “It is through partnerships like this that the MVCC Foundation is able to reach its goals of affordable education, breaking barriers, and training the workforce of tomorrow. We’re thrilled to work with Dominion to open up new career opportunities to veterans and help these individuals retrain to fill a community workforce gap.”
Veterans who are interested in finding out more about VET may call MVCC’s Center for Community and Economic Development at (315) 792-5300, the school said.
About Dominion
Dominion Transmission Inc. in New Hartford is part of Richmond, Virginia–based Dominion (NYSE: D), a producer and transporter of energy.
Dominion Foundation, the firm’s philanthropic arm, is “dedicated to improving the physical, social, and economic well-being of the community served by Dominion companies,” according to the company’s website.
The Foundation supports nonprofit causes that “meet basic human needs, protect the environment, support education, and promote community vitality,” MVCC said.
The Dominion Foundation has designated $1 million for grades K-12 grants and higher-education grants to nearly 100 learning institutions in 11 states for the 2016-17 academic year.
The money supports programs that focus on energy, the environment, and workforce development.
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