Older workers may soon be “going green” in Mid-Iowa, due to a recent $100,000 U.S. Department of Labor grant to the Iowa “Experience Works” program.

 Once known as Green Thumb and dating back to the Lyndon Johnson administration, Experience Works Inc. and the Senior Community Service Employment program operate in 30 states, including Iowa.

 The money comes from last year’s federal stimulus bill and is supposed to help train the Experience Works staff members “to identify green job training and employment opportunities for older workers.”

 According to Richard Sartori, regional employment and training coordinator for Experience Works, that may take some doing.

 “Green jobs is a bit of a challenge,” Sartori said. “We are talking with community colleges to see if they are gearing up for classes like converting diesel motors to run on biofuels, or to get into wind energy or refurbishing homes with green materials.”

This Article, and credits, are from the Ames Tribune: Read full article here