White House meets to promote a climate-ready workforce

Today, the White House convened a bipartisan group of 20 governors’ offices and leaders of the U.S. Climate Alliance to discuss the rapid growth of career pathways in climate and clean energy and how states and territories – in partnership with the federal government – ​​can expand American participation. access to professional training based on the skills needed to access these well-paid jobs. In attendance were Ali Zaidi, assistant to the president and national climate advisor at the White House, as well as senior administration officials from the Department of Energy, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Department of Labor, the Department of Transportation, the Department of the Interior and AmeriCorps.

During the meeting, administration officials highlighted how the Biden-Harris administration is taking unprecedented steps to expand proven workforce development training models, such as training programs. recorded learning, to ensure states can further develop their climate resilience and clean energy workforce. Michigan, for example, is growing well-paying, high-skill careers in clean energy while ensuring Michigan residents have the skills they need to succeed, including through the Michigan Electric Vehicle Jobs Academy and registered apprenticeships. The Colorado Climate Corps program, based in the state of Colorado, creates new service opportunities and advances workforce development while supporting the Governor’s goals for mitigation, adaptation and climate conservation. The administration and state officials discussed areas for future collaboration on workforce development and highlighted the important role states can play in creating good-paying climate jobs.

The Biden-Harris Administration is leading and implementing the most ambitious climate, clean energy, and environmental justice agenda in history, including securing the largest climate investment ever – the Reduction Act inflation – and sparking a boom in clean energy manufacturing that attracted hundreds of people. billions in private sector investment and created more than 270,000 new clean energy jobs. And last month, President Biden announced several crucial new actions to support the American Climate Corps – a historic initiative that will put more than 20,000 young Americans to work combating the impacts of climate change while training them for careers in the workforce of the future. .