As part of its ongoing strategy to strengthen and increase participation in the Department of Labor/ Vermont Technical College’s Strengthening Working Families Initiative (SWFI), and its own VT YouthWorks program in Rutland County, Vermont Adult Learning (VAL) has appointed dedicated coordinators for both programs. Chrispin White will lead coordination efforts for VT YouthWorks and Whitney Lamy for SWFI.
White served as Director of Community Engagement at Castleton University for over 19 years, and prior to that was the Director of Success/Title III Activity Director at the College of St. Joseph. He is a graduate of Castleton University, where he earned a BS in Business Management and Marketing.
Lamy holds a BFA in Education from the University of Massachusetts. Lamy was the Executive Director of Crossroads Arts Council, a non- profit that brought performing arts and arts education to Rutland County. She was also the founder of Vermont based Castleton Crackers, working with the company from 2013 to 2018.
VT YouthWorks is a paid entrepreneurial workforce-development training program for youth 18 - 24 who have experienced barriers to entering the workforce. The program was launched in Addison County in July 2016 in partnership with Vermont Adult Learning, Patricia A. Hannaford Career Center, the United Way of Addison County, and VT Department of Labor.
The SWFI grant funds eligible parents and guardians to take the national industry recognized Certified Production Technician Certificate (CPT) Course at the Community College of Vermont (CCV).
Eligible SWFI applicants can receive funding for tuition, books, lab and certification fees, as well as access to additional direct support services such as transportation and child care consultations, if necessary.
Eligibility for the SWFI grant includes: must be a parent or guardian 17 years or older must have one or more children 13 or under, or at least one child with a disability must be eligible to work in the USA must not be currently working in the manufacturing sector unless with a temp agency.