As the demand for renewable energy in California expands, the need for a skilled workforce of contractors, electricians, and workers to install and maintain clean energy technology and infrastructure also increases. To address this need, CPA has dedicated more than $1.3 million to workforce development programs and skills training with union labor training organizations that connect high paying job opportunities to people in marginalized communities.
As part of that effort, CPA is now funding the Multi-Craft Core Curriculum (MC3) pre-apprenticeship programs with two new partners, the Flintridge Center and Women in Non-Traditional Employment Roles (WINTER), to prepare workers for the jobs in the clean energy industry.
The Multi-Craft Core pre-apprenticeship programs provide bootcamp training for students in underserved communities and helps place them into union construction trade apprenticeship programs under the North America Building Trades Unions and the LA/OC Building and Construction Trades Council.
The Flintridge Center, which provides pre-apprenticeship training to previously incarcerated and gang impacted individuals, will receive $435,000 in funding for support services for 270 students and training stipends for 90 to 270 students over a three-year term.
The WINTER program, which provides pre-apprenticeship training to a variety of women, including individuals who are low income, of color, gang impacted, or recently out of foster care, will receive $558,000 in funding for support services for 240 students and training stipends for 60 to 240 students over the three-year term. Additionally, WINTER funding will enhance training capacity, enabling the program to train 24 more students annually through a 1,500-square-foot expansion of its classroom space.
Stipends will be paid to the students while they are enrolled in the training course to help address the impact of the training limitations on other employment opportunities during their course of study.
Support services help students overcome numerous barriers, including access to childcare, housing, transportation assistance, union initiation fees, construction equipment, licensing fees, housing-related assistance and more.
To learn more about CPA’s workforce development efforts, visit cleanpoweralliance.org/workforce/.
