The Biden administration launched a youth training program Wednesday that seeks to prepare the clean, green workforce of the future.
Called the American Climate Corps, the program is designed to give young people access to skills-based training for careers in clean energy, conservation and climate resilience.
“We’re opening up pathways to good-paying careers, lifetimes of being involved in the work of making our communities more sustainable, more fair and more resilient in the face of a changing climate,” said White House National Climate Adviser Ali Zaidi on a call previewing the announcement.
The American Climate Corps seeks to recruit 20,000 youth in its first year, placing them in paid training to become electricians who can help install solar panels that generate renewable energy, plumbers who can install water- and energy-saving appliances and other trades necessary to build clean energy.
They can also learn how to bolster community resilience from natural disasters such as wildfires and to conserve and restore fragile ecosystems vulnerable to a changing climate.
Those who complete the training will be better prepared for jobs in both the private and public sectors that pay good wages and benefits and include the right to organize, Zaidi said. Participants interested in pursuing civil service could be streamlined into such jobs through the program, which will prioritize disadvantaged communities and focus on equity and environmental justice, according to the White House.
Created through President Biden’s executive authority, the American Climate Corps will work with individual states as well as local governments. The program will build on Climate Corps programs that have already launched in California, Colorado, Maine, Michigan and Washington and will expand with five additional states including Arizona, Utah, Minnesota, North Carolina and Maryland.
The American Climate Corps seeks to build on the environmental agenda President Biden set in action with last year’s passage of the Inflation Reduction Act. The nation’s largest investment in domestic energy production and clean energy includes tax credits for entities that hire workers through registered apprenticeship and pre-apprenticeship programs.
The Biden-Harris Administration has spent almost $500 million over the past two years to expand registered apprenticeship and pre-apprenticeships programs through several federal agencies, including the Department of Labor, Department of Energy, Department of Agriculture and Department of the Interior, all of which operate programs to train youth in various climate-resilient trades.
“We need millions of people, especially young people, employed to do the essential work of averting climate catastrophe and building a fair and equitable new economy,” said Varshini Prakash. The co-founder and executive director of the Sunrise Movement Education Fund first met with Biden about creating a civilian climate corps three years ago, before he was elected president. “Our vision is finally beginning to take fruit in U.S. policy.”
Signups for the American Climate Corps start Wednesday. Over the next few months, the federal government will launch a dedicated website for participants to learn about and apply for specific programs.
