22 states want to employ 1 million people in climate apprenticeships by 2035
Governors of 22 states and two U.S. territories say they want to get 1 million people to complete apprenticeships related to low-carbon energy or other climate-friendly jobs by 2035.
The U.S. Climate Alliance, the coalition of mostly Democrat governors, announced this week the launch of the Governors’ Climate-Ready Workforce Initiative.
Through this initiative, they will aim to set up funding and partnerships in order to expand pathways for work that mitigates climate change.
The career paths will include making power systems and buildings low-carbon and resilient, as well as making communities prepared and resilient for climate-related extreme weather.
As part of the goal, some states announced specific policies. New York will put $2.3 million toward training people for careers in offshore wind while New Mexico issued an executive order saying that it will train 2,000 workers in “climate-ready” professions by 2026.
Apprenticeships are training programs that include both instruction and actual work, with the goal of preparing people to work in certain fields. Currently, there are about 660,000 people taking part in registered apprenticeships across various industries.
The U.S. Climate Alliance includes governors of Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Guam, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington state and Wisconsin.
More broadly, Democrats have sought to make the case that climate action and jobs can go hand-in-hand. At the federal level, the Biden administration set up a climate corps program that also seeks to employ people in jobs that help the environment.
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