City of Columbus Announces New Clean-Energy Jobs Program
Mayor
Andrew J. Ginther today announced that the City of Columbus is allocating $1.5
million to IMPACT Community Action to implement Empowered! – a new clean-energy
jobs program geared
toward Columbus residents ages 18-24. The program will provide training and
on-the-job experience for careers in the clean-energy sector and focus on recruiting
participants from communities of color and women in Opportunity Neighborhoods.
“Addressing
climate change is about more than reducing carbon emissions. It is also about
expanding opportunity, promoting upward mobility and elevating quality of life,”
said Mayor Ginther. “A sustainable future must also be a prosperous future, and
I look forward to seeing Empowered!’s impact in our city’s Opportunity
Neighborhoods as well as across the entire community.”
Funding will
support three cohorts of program participants over the next year, providing
training to establish the skills and knowledge needed to be a competitive
candidate for full-time employment within the clean-energy sector. Training will
also highlight career exploration; digital literacy; diversity, equity and
inclusion; and wraparound services.
Additionally, Empowered! participants will
receive on-the-job experience as Energy Advocates, helping residents navigate
and better understand energy efficiency and the range of energy programs
available to them. They will also perform low-level energy audits and simple
energy upgrades such as LED-bulb replacement. Participants will be paid $17 per
hour as Energy Advocates and receive compensation for their training.
“Given our
extensive history and successful outcomes with our home weatherization and
energy advocate programs as well as our work with young people, IMPACT is excited
to launch the Empowered! jobs program,” said Teresa Gary, vice president of
workforce programs at IMPACT Community Action. “This
program will be an innovative addition to our current workforce programs
aligning with emerging green jobs that are creating opportunities for workers
to enter careers that offer good wages and pathways to long term job growth and
prosperity.”
Upon
completion of the program, Empowered! graduates will be placed in
pre-apprenticeships or apprenticeships, or directly employed in fields such as
weatherization, construction, utilities, solar installation and manufacturing.
Brad DeHays, owner and founder of Connect Housing
Blocks, emphasized Empowered!’s importance to the local labor force. “We at
Connect Housing Blocks are excited about Empowered! and its potential to help
diversify the construction and manufacturing sectors. These industries must
scale to help provide the infrastructure Columbus needs as it grows, and the
development of a diverse workforce is critical in meeting that goal.”
Of the $1.5 million being allocated for
Empowered!, $300,000 is from the city’s Clean Energy Columbus program and its
Clean Energy Workforce Development Fund, which is funded annually by the city
and AEP Energy as part of the energy aggregation’s supply agreement.
“Getting young people interested in the energy industry now
is vital for our future. These are important jobs that take hard work and time
learning from experienced mentor to master,” said Marketta Franklin, director
of learning and development for AEP. “Through this effort, we are helping
secure workers for the future and ensuring that our workforce is built with
members of the communities we serve.”
Empowered! advances both the Columbus Climate
Action Plan and environmental justice by supporting those communities most
impacted by climate change. To read more about the Climate Action Plan and
Sustainable Columbus, visit www.columbus.gov/Sustainable.