Governor Kathy Hochul, alongside fellow U.S. Climate Alliance governors, has launched an ambitious new initiative to create a climate-ready workforce, aiming to train 1 million new apprentices by 2035 in fields like clean energy, electric vehicles, and sustainable technology. Announced during Climate Week NYC, this initiative seeks to align climate action with economic growth, focusing on creating well-paying, union-backed jobs while promoting workforce diversity and equitable access to opportunities. As New York spearheads these efforts, questions arise about the urgency of the climate crisis and the long-term viability of these climate-focused careers.
Governor Hochul Joins With U.S. Climate Alliance Governors to Announce Climate-Ready Workforce Initiative, Aims to Train 1 Million New Registered Apprentices by 2035
Governor Kathy Hochul today announced New York’s participation in the U.S. Climate Alliance’s Governors’ Climate-Ready Workforce Initiative to grow career pathways in climate and clean energy fields, strengthen workforce diversity, and jointly train 1 million new registered apprentices across the Alliance’s states and territories by 2035. Governor Hochul made the announcement today at a Climate Week NYC event, which also featured her Alliance Co-Chair New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham, founding Alliance member Washington Governor Jay Inslee, and White House National Climate Advisor Ali Zaidi.
“In New York, we’re showing how climate action and economic growth go hand-in-hand,” Governor Hochul said. “As a co-chair of the U.S. Climate Alliance, I’m proud to be collaborating with states, industry leaders, labor unions, higher education and community organizations to create the jobs of the future required to build a clean, equitable, and resilient economy. A skilled and well-prepared workforce will drive innovation, create new businesses, and ensure a sustainable, resilient future for our country.”
“We need a climate-ready workforce — from EV technicians and heat pump installers to solar panel manufacturers — to meet our carbon reduction goals,” New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham said. “The Executive Order I’m issuing today in conjunction with the Alliance’s new Workforce Initiative will help ensure that workers from all backgrounds have access to the skills and training needed for high-quality, climate-ready jobs across New Mexico.”
“We’re aligning our ambitious climate policies with workforce development to have 1 million more workers poised to take these good-paying, union jobs that serve our communities and strengthen our economies,” Washington Governor Jay Inslee said. “These are economy-wide jobs, not just in clean energy but building trades, land management, clean technology and more. Climate Alliance states have a track record of meeting our ambitious goals and that momentum continues today.”
Through the initiative, Governor Hochul and the bipartisan coalition of 23 other governors, representing approximately 60 percent of the U.S. economy and 55 percent of the U.S. population, will partner to strengthen and expand pathways into a wide variety of climate-ready professions that are critical to building a clean, equitable, and resilient net-zero future.
The initiative goals are to:
- Advance strategies to ensure climate-ready employment pathways lead to good-paying, high-quality jobs.
- Prioritize equity in climate-ready workforce policies and programs to expand opportunities for all workers, particularly those from underrepresented communities.
- Foster meaningful and inclusive collaboration across government, tribal nations and communities, workforce systems, labor unions, industry, community-based organizations and educational institutions.
- Support innovative and evidence-based approaches to help workers enter and advance in climate-ready careers through a range of supportive services.
- Promote the development and use of stackable, portable, and industry-recognized credentials in climate-ready fields to build transferable skills, support reskilling and upskilling, and strengthen workers’ economic mobility.
- Encourage climate-focused workforce planning that is rooted in evidence and aligns with states’ existing workforce development and education systems.
The initiative’s launch comes as historic federal investments, combined with ambitious state climate action, have unleashed a significant expansion of good-paying and union jobs in clean energy and clean technology fields—such as wind, solar, electric vehicles, energy efficiency, and batteries—with millions more anticipated in the coming years under the Biden-Harris administration’s Inflation Reduction Act and Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.
More at https://www.governor.ny.gov/news/
September 23, 2024 Albany New York
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Here are four questions from Republicans and one from a Democrat based on the text about Governor Hochul’s announcement of the Climate-Ready Workforce Initiative:
Republican Questions:
- Given that the hottest recorded temperature in U.S. history was in 1913, why are you framing climate change as an urgent crisis today? Shouldn’t we rely on more current data before investing billions into climate-focused initiatives?
- How do you plan to ensure that these new climate-ready jobs are sustainable in the long term and not just a result of temporary federal funding under the Biden-Harris administration?
- With New York already facing budgetary challenges, how will this initiative be funded without placing further strain on taxpayers, especially if the expected economic growth from these clean energy jobs does not materialize?
- Prioritizing equity and underrepresented communities in workforce policies is admirable, but will this focus on diversity compromise the selection process by emphasizing quotas over qualifications and merit in critical clean energy jobs?
Democrat Question:
- With New York leading in climate initiatives and clean energy job creation, how will the state ensure that the Climate-Ready Workforce Initiative benefits all regions, including rural areas, and not just urban centers like New York City?
Sources: BigNY.com, NY State Governor Governor.ny.gov
