Projects in more than 13 states that address inclusion in the solar energy workforce have been selected for award negotiations for a $13.5 million U.S. Department of Energy funding program.
The U.S. Department of Energy announced 12 projects were selected for the Advancing Equity through Workforce Partnerships Funding Program, a news release said. The program will work to launch training partnerships to expand the solar energy workforce in underserved and underrepresented communities.
“President Biden’s Investing in America agenda is accelerating the clean energy transition, resulting in the creation of hundreds of thousands of good-paying jobs and boosting our growing clean energy economy,” U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm said in the release. “That’s why DOE is working to jump-start solar energy careers, especially in underserved communities, developing the long-term structures needed to deliver these jobs over the next decade.”
The selectees encompass various stakeholders such as industry partners, Tribal organizations, unions, community colleges and state/local governments, the release reported. With a total budget of $13.5 million, including $10 million from President Joe Biden's Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the program seeks to address the shortage of skilled solar workers while promoting inclusivity and economic growth.
The chosen organizations include Adaptive Construction Solutions; Amicus O&M Cooperative; Cook County, Ill.; Crater Lake Electrical Joint Apprenticeship Training Center; Emerald Cities Collaborative; Kern Community College District; Power52 Foundation; Red Cloud Renewable; Solar Landscape; Solar One; University of Louisiana at Lafayette; and Worksystems, the release said.
These organizations will focus on initiatives such as pre-apprenticeship programs, training and certification tracks, workforce training pipelines and apprenticeship readiness programs, according to the release.
"After two years of gathering information and engaging stakeholders, DOE designed this program to foster the development of workforce programs that facilitate the rapid deployment of solar energy technologies while growing and supporting an inclusive workforce," the release said.
