Washington DC, United States: The President of the United States of America – Joe Biden, recently assured the general public that the ‘American Climate Corps’ will inform the young population how their actions are making a difference in benefitting the community, along with providing high-scale clean energy jobs.
President Biden took to his official X account on October 5, 2023 (Thursday) and wrote, “The American Climate Corps will not only train young people for clean energy jobs in the future, but it will also help them realize just how much of a difference they can make to benefit them and the community.”
This initiative was launched by the Biden Administration under his Investing in America agenda. These steps are counted as the efforts of the US President to provide employment to move many young Americans into the clean energy and climate resilience economy. The American Climate Crops also focused on offering workforce training necessary for good-paying careers.
According to the update shared by the White House, the initiative (Americans Climate Corps) will provide assistance to the population in mobilizing a new, diverse generation of over 20,000 Americans. It will push the general public towards conserving and restoring America’s lands and waters,deploying clean energy, bolstering community resilience, implementing energy-efficient technologies, and advancing environmental justice, along with providing high-quality and good-paying clean energy jobs.
Furthermore, the initiative also focuses on climate resilience jobs, one of the major concerns of the world. It is to be noted that the Americans Climate Corps benefits both the public as well as private sectors following the completion of a paid training program.
The White House has also outlined that this initiative will prioritize communities that were left behind and will bring equity and environmental justice. The major focus will be given to the energy communities that powered the nation for many generations.
In addition to this, the initiative will prioritize projects that will help in meeting the Biden Administration’s Justice 40 goal.
President Biden calls locals for collaboration:
Earlier in September 2023, President Biden called on Tribal, State, and local governments, labor unions, non-profit service allies, the private sector, and philanthropy to come forward and join hands with the Federal government in expanding skill-based training partnerships.
He also mentioned that these partnerships will assist in ensuring that the nation has the workforce to meet the climate goals set by the administrations.
At that time, the President also announced that on September 20, five (5) states launched their own Climate Corps – to show support for the American Climate Corps. To date, as many as ten (10) states have launched their own Climate Corps since 2021.
Besides this, the White House launched an official website for individual organizations that are interested in joining or supporting the American Climate Corps. The link to sign up is www.whitehouse.gov/climatecorps.
According to the White House, the function of the American Climate Corps will be as follows:
- Train young people in clean energy, conservation as well as climate resilience-related skills
- Coordinate Recruitment Across Federal Programs
- Expand AmeriCorps Segal Education Awards Access
- Streamline Pathways into Civil Service
- Leverage Tribal, State and Local Governments
In September, it was estimated that the Biden-Harris Administration has made around US$500 million of investment to increase the pathways into good-paying union jobs. The jobs will be provided by prioritizing Registered Apprenticeships and pre-apprenticeship programs, such as clean energy, as well as other climate-focused careers.
American Climate Corps:
President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s Civilian Conversation Corps has been regarded as an inspiration for the American Climate Corps. Along with providing high paying climate-focused jobs, it also put unemployed young men to work on government lands – giving a boost to the fight against unemployment caused by the Great Depression.