NMDWS News:
ALBUQUERQUE – From more than 450 applications, the Families and Workers Fund selected the New Mexico Department of Workforce Solutions’ Energy Transition Workforce Equity project as one of 14 winners of the Powering Climate and Infrastructure Careers Challenge.
The Energy Transition Workforce Equity Project will support NMDWS’ efforts to develop and expand the capacity of a skilled clean energy workforce in New Mexico. The new project will involve systematic, coordinated, and regular meetings of a diverse, comprehensive, and 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 the skills needed for jobs in clean energy infrastructure and related industries, and to prioritize diversity and inclusion by creating career opportunities for underrepresented groups. The grant will also help ensure that the millions in federal funds coming to the state through the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) are effectively used to support a clean energy workforce. The three-year grant is split between in-kind technical assistance and funds for the department.
“Governor Lujan Grisham has made growing a workforce ready to address clean energy and climate resilience challenges one of her top priorities. This grant will strengthen the state’s ability to prepare New Mexicans for sustainable job opportunities across the state and in tribal communities by supporting the development of clean energy infrastructure,” said Sarita Nair, NMDWS Cabinet Secretary. “We are excited to bring together businesses, education partners and communities to expand high-impact training programs and job-relevant skills development in the clean energy infrastructure sector.”
The Powering Climate & Infrastructure Careers Challenge is designed to support state and local governments, education and training providers, and community organizations at the forefront of the clean energy and infrastructure transition.
“Preparing workers for the jobs essential to the energy transition is critical to both our efforts to combat climate change and to promote economic development in New Mexico,” said Melanie Kenderdine, secretary-designate of the New Mexico Department of Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources. “We welcome NMDWS’ commitment of these funds to support this important effort.”
“Many see combating the impacts of climate change as an environmental effort, but it is also an opportunity for economic development,” said James Kenney, Secretary of the Department of Environmental Protection. “With these funds, New Mexico families can directly benefit from the state of New Mexico’s energy transition by providing young workers with lifelong job skills and well-paying careers.”
The objectives of this grant correspond to the State Combined Plan on the Innovation and Workforce Opportunity Act It identifies construction, energy transition and beneficiary resilience as top priorities for workforce development.
