CPA Invests $250k to Fund Skills Training and Grow College Scholarships

The Clean Power Alliance (CPA) Board of Directors has approved the next phase of workforce development funding, allocating more than $250,000 to local communities for a range of green energy focused academic and career programs including skills training, classroom equipment, and scholarship funding for students pursuing careers in clean energy and related industries.  

Since our first day of service, CPA has committed to partnering with local colleges and trade unions in the communities we serve in Los Angeles and Ventura counties to help develop a local renewable energy workforce poised for today’s green jobs, while preparing the next generation for the renewable energy jobs of tomorrow.  

In 2021, CPA mapped out a four-year plan to provide $1 million in strategic investments for workforce development programs, funded in partnership with NextEra Energy Resources, that will equip workers to pursue career-track jobs in the rapidly growing transportation and building electrification sectors.  

Several programs were chosen for the first two years of funding for a total of $398,500, including cybersecurity apprenticeship trainings for smart buildings and smart cities, in partnership with the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) in Los Angeles and Ventura Counties, and the microgrid maintenance training program at the Los Angeles Cleantech Incubator (LACI).  

LACI’s Green Jobs Fellowship is a multitiered program which provides technical training, interpersonal skills development, and industry-recognized certifications to help underrepresented groups secure placements at green startups. 

Funding for Los Angeles County and Ventura County IBEW has included support for 17 classroom training devices that will provide hands on learning for 200 students. Recently, the Ventura County Electrical Joint Apprenticeship Training Committee (VCEJATC) hosted its annual electrical apprenticeship graduation ceremony in the City of Ventura, celebrating 16 electrical apprentices graduating from their five-year program. 

Additionally, CPA’s Board recently approved $105,000 in new funding for the Voyager Scholarship program to support 105 scholarships for renewable energy students attending community colleges throughout our Southern California service area. Initial funding for these scholarships was provided by Terra-Gen, the developer of one of CPA’s early wind farms. 

These investments in workforce development have helped to advance our goal of expanding skills training under the framework of “greening” existing jobs via apprenticeship programs, rapid trainings, and certificate programs, while strengthening partnerships with entities that have demonstrated success.