Efficiency First

Tracking Stimulus Funding for Green Workforce Development Federal legislation funnels $500 million to education and training initiatives for American workers.

You may have heard that the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 signed into law last February earmarked funding for green-collar job development, but many in our industry are not fully aware of the impact this funding is likely to have on the Home Performance sector.

The amount of money in question is considerable – we’re talking $500 million allocated to the U.S. Department of Labor for initiatives related to the development of a national workforce trained to meet the demands of the energy efficiency and renewable energy industries. The bulk of these funds will target specific regions and professions suffering the highest unemployment levels, with up to 25 percent devoted to communities impacted by the restructuring of the auto industry.

The DOL will award funding for job development in the following areas:

• Energy-efficient construction and retrofitting services
• Renewable electric power
• Energy-efficient vehicles and drive trains
• Biofuels
• The deconstruction and materials use industries
• The energy efficiency assessment industry serving residential, commercial and industrial sectors
• Manufactures that produce sustainable products using environmentally sustainable processes and materials .

Workforce development programs receiving ARRA funding will be crucial to the future success of the Home Performance industry as demand for retrofitting services grows. These programs will provide the skilled workers we need to grow our industry rapidly while continuing to deliver quality service and effective reductions in household fossil fuel consumption.

###