A Strong Middle Class Through a Green Economy

From the National Association of Workforce Boards:

As part of their commitment to developing new policies, proposals, and
ideas to help America's middle class, Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis,
Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Shaun Donovan, Secretary of Energy
Steven Chu, and Secretary of Education Arne Duncan announced new agency
partnerships to foster job growth for a new green economy at a meeting of the
Middle Class Task Force in Denver.
 
The U.S. Department of Labor and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban
Development (HUD) are partnering to bring training and employment to public
housing residents. In a joint letter, Secretaries Solis and Donovan encouraged
local Workforce Investment Boards and Public Housing Agencies to work together
to bolster pathways to training and employment for residents of HUD housing.
Through this new partnership, residents of public housing will be able to more
easily find training programs and sustainable employment in the green job
sectors created by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Recovery
Act). Read the letter online.
 

Additionally, the Secretaries of Energy, Education, and Labor announced a
collaboration to make it a major priority to institutionalize cross-agency
communication about private sector jobs created as the result of federal action.
Through these efforts, jobs created will be connected to training programs and
career pathways that can provide transitions for adults between employment and
for students from high school to postsecondary education and into careers.
Through this partnership, the Department of Energy will identify ways to notify
the Department of Labor as funding commitments are made and jobs are created.
The Department of Labor will in turn provide the information to local One-Stop
Employment Centers that will connect unemployed workers with jobs, training, and
education opportunities. The Department of Education will help identify the
educational resources for training so we ensure that educational opportunities
linked to job creation are comprehensive. Read the Memorandum of Understanding
online.
 

The Labor Department also officially announced plans to release $500
million from the Recovery Act for grants to prepare workers for careers in the
energy efficiency and renewable energy sectors. These funds are targeted to help
underserved communities and $50 million will assist communities affected by auto
industry restructuring. The competition for grant money is anticipated to begin
in June 2009, with application closing dates starting during the late
summer.
 
Through these partnerships, HUD, the Labor Department, the Energy
Department, and the Education Department are leveraging resources to connect
workers to green career pathways and sustainable employment, advancing existing
and future training and education programs, and helping to ensure employers have
access to a qualified workforce for the green economy of the 21st century. 

Learn more at www.AStrongMiddleClass.gov.