Kicking off Climate Week NYC (September 22nd-29th), Governor Kathy Hochul announced New York State’s participation in the U.S. Climate Alliance’s Climate-Ready Workforce Initiative with the overall goal of training 1 million new registered apprentices by 2035. This bipartisan coalition between New York and 23 other states together represents approximately 60% of the U.S. economy and 55% of the U.S. population. The initiative will take advantage of historic levels of federal and state investment into climate action, including the Biden-Harris administration’s Inflation Reduction Act and Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, to expand good-paying and union jobs in clean energy infrastructure and technology.
To that end, Governor Hochul also announced a $2.3 million grant through NYSERDA and the State’s Offshore Wind Training Institute (OWTI) to Local 3 for the express purpose of training 100 pre-apprentices and 430 journeypersons in New York City in all stages of offshore wind development.
“Today’s announcement on the ‘Climate-Ready Workforce Initiative’ is a great step forward in continuing to prepare future members of the IBEW and unionized Building Trades for the green energy jobs of today and beyond,” Business Manager Chris Erikson said. “We welcome tomorrow’s apprentices from all walks of life into our ranks with open arms, ready to deliver world-class training and to prepare them for union careers with family-supporting wages and benefits. Thank you to Governor Hochul, the Biden-Harris administration, US Climate Alliance, and NYSERDA for addressing the climate crisis head-on and supporting the unionized green workforce.”
