industries, with a focus on low-income communities and other at-risk populations. Roy says his company is eager to build solar capacity owned by the same people who use the power – a concept known as “community solar.”
“If you can pull these individuals from the community and develop projects in their area,” Roy said, “that allows you to
give them ownership
of their futures.”
In addition to the solar installation training, Pitts has also partnered with SIU Center for Family Medicine in Springfield to train workers on radon testing and mitigation. Dr. Tracey Smith, co-director of population health integration and director of community outreach at SIU, is spearheading the program. Smith says she met Pitts through their mutual work in the Enos Park neighborhood.
“I’ve seen the great things Calvin has been able to do for people trying to get into the workforce,” Smith said. “I’ve always believed workforce development is one of the major keys when doing a community project.”
Smith says the radon training program is supported by an Illinois Emergency Management Agency grant awarded to SIU in October, and it will start as a pilot program in Enos Park. Smith says radon mitigation can cost between $800 and $1,500.
“For someone who is just barely sustaining themselves, there’s no reason to test for radon because they can’t afford to mitigate it,” she said.
State law prohibits the same company from doing both the testing and the mitigation in a home to prevent scams, so trainees in Pitts’ program will learn both halves of the industry.
Smith says the radon training initiative meets several needs by fixing dangerous conditions in low-income homes, providing a career path for workers and filling a need in the workforce for people trained in radon detection and mitigation.
“We’ve seen that traditional models of post-education don’t work for everyone,” Smith said. “We need to learn how to help people who don’t have vocational training sustain themselves. Being able to create a well-trained workforce is good for Illinois.”
For Pitts, a crucial part of the training is teaching self-respect to prevent destructive behaviors.
“Every man wants respect,” he said. “I want to instill in them that it’s better to put yourself in a position where respect is earned. You don’t have to be tough; you don’t have to draw pistols to make someone respect you. You can do something in 10 minutes that it can take the rest of your life to get out of. And you don’t have to make someone respect you. All you can control is how you respond.”
Pitts hopes that the outcome of his program extends beyond his trainees to their families, potentially changing the path of future generations as children see their parents build things and succeed.
“I don’t want to look at what you’ve done,” Pitts said. “I want to look at you as a person with potential and where you want to go from here. We’ll change the mindset of these people and give them new options. A lot of times, we do what we do because it’s all we know. We want to expose them to the potential that’s been lying dormant in their lives.”
By sbjadmin|February 24th, 2017
In addition to the solar installation training, Pitts has also partnered with SIU Center for Family Medicine in Springfield to train workers on radon testing and mitigation. Dr. Tracey Smith, co-director of population health integration and director of community outreach at SIU, is spearheading the program. Smith says she met Pitts through their mutual work in the Enos Park neighborhood.
“I’ve seen the great things Calvin has been able to do for people trying to get into the workforce,” Smith said. “I’ve always believed workforce development is one of the major keys when doing a community project.”
Smith says the radon training program is supported by an Illinois Emergency Management Agency grant awarded to SIU in October, and it will start as a pilot program in Enos Park. Smith says radon mitigation can cost between $800 and $1,500.
“For someone who is just barely sustaining themselves, there’s no reason to test for radon because they can’t afford to mitigate it,” she said.
State law prohibits the same company from doing both the testing and the mitigation in a home to prevent scams, so trainees in Pitts’ program will learn both halves of the industry.
Smith says the radon training initiative meets several needs by fixing dangerous conditions in low-income homes, providing a career path for workers and filling a need in the workforce for people trained in radon detection and mitigation.
“We’ve seen that traditional models of post-education don’t work for everyone,” Smith said. “We need to learn how to help people who don’t have vocational training sustain themselves. Being able to create a well-trained workforce is good for Illinois.”
For Pitts, a crucial part of the training is teaching self-respect to prevent destructive behaviors.
“Every man wants respect,” he said. “I want to instill in them that it’s better to put yourself in a position where respect is earned. You don’t have to be tough; you don’t have to draw pistols to make someone respect you. You can do something in 10 minutes that it can take the rest of your life to get out of. And you don’t have to make someone respect you. All you can control is how you respond.”
Pitts hopes that the outcome of his program extends beyond his trainees to their families, potentially changing the path of future generations as children see their parents build things and succeed.
“I don’t want to look at what you’ve done,” Pitts said. “I want to look at you as a person with potential and where you want to go from here. We’ll change the mindset of these people and give them new options. A lot of times, we do what we do because it’s all we know. We want to expose them to the potential that’s been lying dormant in their lives.”
By sbjadmin|February 24th, 2017
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