The Chicago Department of Transportation (CDOT) has expanded its Greencorps Chicago job-training program this summer to include boulevard and median landscape maintenance on the Southeast Side, and adding an intensive mowing and maintenance training module into the program’s curriculum.

“Greencorps Chicago is the City’s green industry job-training program for individuals with barriers to employment,” said Mayor Rahm Emanuel. “Through wrap-around social services and outplacement services, Greencorps works with individuals to overcome these barriers while developing and strengthening interpersonal and professional development skills.”

The City’s median and landscape maintenance program is split into several geographical regions wherein private landscaping firms perform contracted work. Greencorps trainees will take over the Southeast region, which borders State Street to the west, Lake Michigan and the state line to the east, Roosevelt Road to the north and the City line to the south.  

The boulevard and median landscape maintenance training will add up to twelve additional positions to the existing 30 trainee positions, and 12 crew supervisor positions.  This will round out the existing training that currently focuses on ecological restoration and urban forestry.

“Greencorps participants are provided diverse learning opportunities with hands-on field training experiences in landscaping, urban forestry, ecological restoration and brownfield remediation,” said CDOT Commissioner Gabe Klein. “This job training is the first significant step to finding long-term, meaningful employment.”

Greencorps trainees receive classroom training in horticulture, tree care, carpentry, restoration ecology, Integrated Pest Management (IPM) and related topics.  Project based training has included landscaping, urban forestry, ecological restoration and brownfield remediation.

Of the 22 graduates of the program’s 2012 nine-month training session, 20 are currently employed or in school full-time developing their career options.

Strong partnerships with the Forest Preserve District of Cook County, the Chicago Park District and the Illinois Department of Natural Resources provide both field training expertise and project based training opportunities primarily in urban forestry and ecological restoration.

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