North America's Building Trades Unions and the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy unveiled a collaborative effort that describes the potential to create significant career training opportunities via investments in energy efficiency programs.

"As states make the necessary plans for a clean energy future, they should consider the social and economic benefits of their decisions,” said Steven Nadel, executive director of the council. “Energy efficiency programs have the potential to provide jobs and career training opportunities for significant numbers of Americans."

The EPA recently proposed the Clean Energy Incentive Program that is designed to credit states for early Clean Power Plan compliance action, with the hopes that such a move will spur energy efficiency measures despite the Supreme Court's decision to stay the climate change rule.

This has the potential to create career training opportunities in the skilled trades, provided that industry, government and labor work in tripartite harmony to make it happen.

"North America's Building Trades Unions and its signatory contractors invest over $1 billion annually in the world's most admired and successful skilled craft apprenticeship infrastructure," said Sean McGarvey president of NABTU. "We have real-world experience in working with businesses, industry, government and community organizations that see the value in leveraging public and private investment so that they create opportunities for career training in the skilled trades, particularly and especially for historical neglected communities, such as women, people of color, military veterans, and urban youth. Energy efficiency investments have that same potential, and we are proud to join with ACEEE to issue a call to make that a reality."

Click here to read the joint fact sheet.