Toledo awarded $200K jobs grant

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has awarded the city of Toledo $200,000 to train and hire the unemployed for cleanup work.

The EPA granted a total of $3 million to 15 cities nationwide. The funds will be used to recruit, train, and employ previously jobless people in programs to clean up economically disadvantaged communities. The city of Toledo will train at least 75 students and hire at least 60 graduates in environmental jobs.

"People want and deserve both a healthier environment and greater economic opportunity," Mathy Stanislaus, assistant administrator for EPA's Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response, said in a statement. "This training program for environmental jobs has a proven track record. Approximately 71 percent of graduates find employment in environmental fields that serve local communities."