The Siemens Foundation announced a $3M grant to the Families and Workers Fund’s (FWF) Powering Climate and Infrastructure Careers for All, a pooled fund to leverage large-scale investments that ensure individuals from historically marginalized communities have access to the clean economy.
As part of the Siemens Foundation’s EVeryone Charging Forward workforce development initiative, the grant will ensure accessible career pathways for the electric vehicle (EV) charging sector.
Through this partnership, FWF will identify and support EV charging workforce programs across the country and provide funding for services to help overcome common barriers to career success, including equipment and uniforms, childcare, transportation, affordable housing, and mental health support.
“With historic federal investments to modernize our infrastructure and decarbonize our climate, we must ensure participation by everyone in our economy,” said David Etzwiler, CEO of Siemens Foundation. “There is only one path forward to do that: collaboration across government, business, labor, philanthropy, and communities. The acceleration of industry demand for workers means we must work together like never before to ensure all individuals have the resources necessary for them to secure clean energy jobs.”
In the initial phase of the $30M EVeryone Charging Forward workforce development initiative, the Siemens Foundation and its partners sought to establish key training models and curriculum to build an inclusive EV charging workforce over the next 10 years. This recent investment aims to create an environment for career growth in this rapidly-advancing sector and enable greater opportunity and engagement in the industry.
Furthering the Siemens Foundation’s goals, the National League of Cities (NLC) and the National Governors Association (NGA) will host their first meeting of the State and Local Collaborative to Support an Inclusive Workforce for the Electric Vehicle Charging Sector (EV Workforce Collaborative).
The Collaborative, funded by the Siemens Foundation, leverages both organizations’ strengths and networks, creating pathways into the new EV Charging economy for marginalized communities. The Siemens Foundation is also collaborating with the NGA and NLC to establish a central hub of best practices for a more inclusive EV charging workforce.
EVeryone Charging Forward was created in response to the rapid growth of the EV charging sector, resulting in significant demand for skilled workers across the industry. With this workforce development initiative, Siemens Foundation seeks to ensure equitable access to jobs for individuals from all backgrounds and to meaningfully contribute to the decarbonization and strengthening of the US economy.
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