White House wants 75,000 solar jobs by 2020
April 3, 2015 | By
Jaclyn Brandt
President Obama has announced an initiative to help the solar industry. The White House said the initiative's goal is to help cut net greenhouse gas emissions 26-28 percent by 2025, and expects to do so with plans to train 75,000 solar workers by 2020.
The initiative also includes plans launch a Solar Ready Vets program; utilize the GI Bill for solar workforce training; and educate veterans and service members about opportunities to gain solar workforce training. The training for veterans are to be included in the 75,000 solar workers trained. In May 2014, the Department of Energy (DOE) announced plans to train 50,000 solar workers by 2020 -- which will be a part of DOE's SunShot Initiative's Solar Instructor Training Network. The network includes 400 community colleges that have already trained more than 1,000 solar instructors and 30,000 students in the last five years. "Since President Obama took office, solar electricity generation has increased 20 fold, doubling last year alone -- just as the cost of solar has continued to fall as a result of investments in research and manufacturing innovation," the White House said in a statement. "The solar industry is adding jobs 10 times faster than the rest of the economy, creating a source of good paying American employment. To continue progress, the Administration is announcing actions to drive growth in the solar industry while also supporting our veterans." The initiative also includes a Solar Ready Vets program, which is presented by a partnership between the DOE and Department of Defense (DOD). The program will take place at 10 military bases in the United States. According to a statement by the White House, "The Solar Ready Vets program will train transitioning military service personnel to enter the solar workforce by joining with SunShot's Solar Instructor Training Network and leveraging the DOD's Skillbridge transition authority authorized by Congress in 2012. Consistent with the Vice-President's job-driven training agenda, the program is based on the specific needs of high-growth solar employers, is tailored to build on the technician skills that veterans have acquired through their service, and incorporates work-based learning strategies." Through the program, veterans and service members will take estimates and install solar, connect electricity to the grid, and learn local building codes. The GI Bill program will be presented by the Department of Veterans Affairs (DOVA) to fund the Solar Ready Vets initiative -- along with DOE and state agencies. "The Department of Labor (DOL), will work with DOD to ensure that transitioning service members are made aware of solar workforce training programs available to them in their last months of military service," the White House said. "In addition, to better serve unemployed veterans, DOL will partner with state workforce agencies and American Job Centers to better inform unemployed veterans about the opportunity to participate in available solar trainings." The new initiative builds upon the White House's solar energy commitment, which they credit in part for decline in the the price of commercial and residential solar by more than 12 percent in 2013. President Obama announced the initiative during a speech at Hill Air Force Base in Utah, where he also met with staff and students of Salt Lake Community College (SLCC). Obama met with SLCC's Judy Fisher, who manages the Rocky Mountain division of the SunShot Solar Instructor Training Program. He also met with Michelle Fisher, an Air Force Veteran who has served in Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. She is currently attending SLCC while participating in the VA's Vocational Rehabilitation program. The White House submitted new levels for emissions reduction to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) last week, which included a 26-28 percent decrease from 2005 levels by 2025. For more:
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