NMDWS News:
ALBUQUERQUE — Out of more than 450 applications, the Families and Workers Fund selected the New Mexico Department of Workforce Solutions’ Energy Transition Workforce Equity project to be one of 14 awardees of the Powering Climate and Infrastructure Careers Challenge.
The Energy Transition Workforce Equity project will support NMDWS’ efforts to develop and expand New Mexico’s qualified clean energy workforce capacity. The new project will include systemic, coordinated, and regular convenings of a diverse, comprehensive, representative partnership of employers, educational institutions, community-based organizations, state agencies and policymakers.
The goals are to develop and expand training programs that equip individuals with skills needed for clean energy infrastructure jobs and related industries, and to prioritize diversity and inclusion by creating pathways for underrepresented groups. The grant will also help ensure that the millions of federal dollars coming into the state through the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) are effectively utilized to support a clean energy workforce. The three-year grant is divided between in-kind technical assistance and funding for the Department.
“Governor Lujan Grisham has made expanding a workforce ready to tackle the challenges of clean energy and climate resilience a top priority. This grant will strengthen the state’s ability to prepare New Mexicans for sustainable job opportunities throughout the state and in tribal communities by supporting clean energy infrastructure development,” NMDWS Cabinet Secretary Sarita Nair said. “We are excited to bring businesses, education partners, and communities together to expand high-impact training programs and job-ready skills development in the clean energy infrastructure field.”
The Powering Climate & Infrastructure Careers Challenge is designed to support the state and local agencies, education and training providers, and community organizations at the forefront of clean energy and infrastructure transition.
“Preparing workers for the jobs that will be essential for the clean energy transition is critical to both our efforts to combat climate change and promote economic development in New Mexico,” said Melanie Kenderdine, Secretary-Designate of the New Mexico Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department. “We applaud NMDWS for securing these funds to aid this important endeavor.”
“Many see the battle against the effects of climate change as an environmental effort, but it’s also an opportunity for economic development,” Environment Department Secretary James Kenney said. “These funds will allow New Mexican families to directly benefit from the State of New Mexico’s green energy transition by allowing young workers to gain lifelong professional skillsets and high-paying careers.”
The objectives of this grant align with the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act State Combined Plan that identifies construction, energy transition and claimant resilience as a top priority for workforce development.
