Green Jobs Programs Funded in DOL FY 10 Budget

For Immediate Release: May 18, 2009
For More Information Contact: Ellen Vaughan at (202) 662-1893 or evaughan [at] eesi.org

The President’s FY 10 budget request for the Department of Labor's (DOL) Employment and Training Administration (ETA) includes programs to help the country's youth move into the growing fields of renewable energy infrastructure, energy efficiency, and home retrofitting. Youth Activities (Title I of the Workforce Investment Act of 1998), which received $1.2 billion under ARRA, would receive level funding from FY 09 appropriations. A new Green Jobs Innovation Fund would support competitive grant opportunities to help workers receive job training in green industry sectors and occupations and access green career pathways. The Career Pathways Innovation Fund is slated for a $10 million increase over the amount awarded in FY 09 appropriations. Competitive grants provided by this Fund will continue support for community colleges provided by Community-Based Job Training Grants (CBJTG), but will focus on helping individuals of varying skill levels enter and pursue careers in high-demand and emerging industries such as clean energy.