Readout of White House Convening on Advancing a Climate-Ready Workforce

Today, the White House convened a bipartisan group of 20 governors’ offices and U.S. Climate Alliance leadership to discuss the rapid growth of career pathways in climate and clean energy fields and how states and territories – in partnership with the federal government – can expand Americans’ access to the occupational skills-based training necessary to access these good-paying jobs. In attendance were Ali Zaidi, Assistant to the President and White House National Climate Advisor, and senior administration officials from the Department of Energy, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Department of Labor, Department of Transportation, Department of the Interior, and AmeriCorps.

During the convening, Administration officials highlighted how the Biden-Harris Administration is taking unprecedented steps to expand proven workforce development training models, such as Registered Apprenticeship programs, to ensure that states can further develop their climate resilience and clean energy workforces. Michigan, for instance, is developing good-paying, high-skill clean energy careers while ensuring Michigan residents have the skills needed to succeed, including through the Michigan Electric Vehicle Jobs Academy and registered apprenticeships. Colorado’s state-based Colorado Climate Corps program is creating new service opportunities and advancing workforce development while supporting the Governor’s climate mitigation, adaptation, and conservation goals. Administration and state officials discussed areas for future collaboration on workforce development, and highlighted the important role states can play in creating good-paying climate jobs.

The Biden-Harris Administration is leading and delivering on the most ambitious climate, clean energy, and environmental justice agenda in history, including securing the largest ever climate investment – the Inflation Reduction Act – and unleashing a clean energy manufacturing boom that has attracted hundreds of billions in private sector investment and created over 270,000 new clean energy jobs. And just last month, President Biden announced several new critical actions to stand up the American Climate Corps – a historic initiative that will put more than 20,000 young Americans to work fighting the impacts of climate change while training them for careers in the workforce of the future.

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