An Auburn agency is playing an active role in a statewide program to recruit youths into green jobs.

The Connections career center, part of the Golden Sierra Job Training Agency, will host a four-month training program from January to April.

During December, the Connections centers in Auburn and Roseville screened candidates for the Green Jobs Corps program.

The group of 10 students will meet weekly, according to education director Brent Rubey.

“The main focus is on field trips two or three days a month,” Rubey said. “We’re partnering with local businesses to expose participants to the range of green job careers in the region.

Rubey’s company, Fourth Sector Strategies based in Truckee, is running the program in partnership with Golden Sierra and Sierra College.

Rubey, a former high school science teacher, will teach the classes and lead the field trips.

Participants will explore organic farming, sustainable forestry, biomass utilization, forest and watershed restoration, renewable energy, green plumbing and energy efficiency, according to the Fourth Sector Strategies Web site.

“The Renewable energy (section) could include visiting a residence or small commercial solar installation in progress,” Rubey explained. “We’d also like to visit Altamont Wind Farm or another large-scale wind-turbine site. Students also may spend some time at a lumber mill to look at biomass conversion.”

Rubey wants to work with the U.S. Forest Service and area environmental groups for additional field trips.

A primary focus will be on energy-efficiency auditing internships, where participants will look at the types of lighting, appliances, insulation and other features that use energy in buildings. The goal is to identify needed upgrades to improve energy efficiency.

“(The upgrades) wouldn’t be performed by participants,” he said. “We’ll help connect residents or business owners with all the different opportunities available.”

The statewide Green Jobs Corps program received $10 million in federal stimulus funds. Another $10 million will come from public-private partnerships, according to a press release from the governor’s office.

The goal is to bring 1,000 new and skilled workers into California’s green sector. Locally, Golden Sierra is sharing a $937,890 funding grant that went to the Sacramento Employment Training Agency.

There are nine other partnerships throughout the state, Rubey said.

In Auburn, the program begins Friday, Jan. 8.

“The next day, we’ll travel up to Clair Tappaan, the Sierra Club facility, for three days,” Rubey said.

That will be a team-building experience, with the last day set aside for skiing or snowboarding at Sugar Bowl.

Sessions will be held Friday evenings and two weekends a month through April 26.

“This is officially a pilot program that continues through February 2011,” Rubey said. “The second cycle will be in the summer in the Truckee area. The third version will be in autumn in El Dorado County, most likely Placerville.”

At the end of the four-month course, participants will get assistance in deciding on a career path.

“There’s an apprentice opportunity through local unions and there’s also a variety of programs through community colleges,” Rubey said. “Sierra College is having solar voltaic installer training. We want to emphasize there are variety of routes. If someone encounters a job they’re really inspired by, we want to connect them with the way to pursue it — vocational, two-years, four-years or on-the- job training.”

At Golden Sierra, Noramah Burch, a business and employment specialist, is helping with recruitment and making sure applicants meet eligibility guidelines. She’s also the primary case manager for the training program.

“I thought the response was really good,” she said about the information sessions. “So far there have been fewer people than I expected, but good quality candidates.”

The program is open to applicants ages 16 to 24 who are unemployed or underemployed — working part time and looking for full-time work.

“We don’t require a high school diploma,” Burch said. “If they need a high school diploma, we’ll help them with that.”

Gloria Young can be reached at gloriay@goldcountrymedia.com.

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For more information on the Green Jobs Corps program, see fourthsectorstrategies. com or call the Auburn Connections at (530) 823-4631.