The City of St Louis, MO has introduced The Solar Workforce Development Pilot – a green jobs workforce development program. The program is a collaboration between the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers and National Electrical Contractors Association (IBEW-NECA), the St Louis Agency on Training and Employment (SLATE), and other community partners.
Scheduled to begin this fall, the pilot plans to place a group of 10 to 20 participants in a multi-faceted training program with supervised field training and mentoring. Solar array installation experts will provide installation instruction, supervise on-the-job training, and/or consider participants for hired positions. Participants will receive a stipend during training, with the end goal of placing program graduates into paid jobs.
“This is an innovative way for us to make strides with the City’s ambitious climate protection goals while advancing diversity and equity in the workforce at the same time. We’re fortunate to have strong community partners willing to join us in taking a leadership role in this endeavor. I trust this pilot will deliver a tangible, comprehensive set of essential skills needed by City residents to participate in growing a green economy,” said Mayor Lyda Krewson.
The pilot was developed by the City’s Office of Sustainability with support from the Energy Foundation through the Bloomberg Philanthropies American Cities Climate Challenge. Employment Connection will coordinate the program.
“This initiative advances the City’s triple bottom line sustainability objectives with environmental, economic, and social benefits. It also centres equity in our ever-expanding regional green economy, by establishing a nexus for new green job skills while promoting the City’s climate action objectives and the local use of renewable energy,” added Catherine Werner, sustainability director for the City of St Louis.