Under a provision in the 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, or ARRA, the state of Texas will get $4.8 million to train workers to fill jobs in the renewable energy industry.
The funding, recently announced by Representative Lloyd Doggett (D-TX), will be used to train about 1,000 workers at solar power plants in Austin and San Antonio. Once trained, workers will fill gaps in a Texas workforce depleted by the recent recession.
According to Representative John Culberson (R-TX), the state has lost 178,600 jobs since the middle of March, 2009.
According to Culberson, the funding is part of the Central Texas plan, which aims to create a “thriving” green energy economy in the central part of the state. The training, which will prepare workers to install solar panels, will be offered through Austin's Joint Apprenticeship Training Committee, or JATC.
The JATC program is jointly sponsored by the Central Texas Chapter of the National Electrical Contractors Association and IBEW Local Union Number 520, a branch of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers.
The Austin IBEW will offer the solar installer apprenticeships in conjunction with the Austin Workforce Investment Board (operating through the U.S. Dept. of Labor) and Austin-based ImagineSolar LLC, which offers solar consulting and training services based on the ISPQ Standard established by the Institute for Sustainable Power, Inc., an international non-profit which develops, coordinates and maintains international renewable energy standards.
Training is slated to begin in March, and is part of a larger, $100-million federal funds disbursement dedicated to “green” jobs training, with grants awarded to 25 areas around the nation which either offer the most potential for using renewable energy skills or have suffered the greatest economic impact.
Total funding for green jobs is reportedly $500 million, all aimed at providing workers with the skills they need to function in the burgeoning energy efficiency and renewable energy industries.
The grants are being distributed in amounts from $1.4 million to $5 million, according to Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis. Other green job beneficiaries include $5 million to Massachusetts; $3.87 million to Washington State; $3.2 million to Missouri; $4.99 million to the AFL-CIO Utility Workers of America (UWUA) union in California and Massachusetts; and $5 million to the Blue Green Alliance in Minnesota.