Expand Workforce Training and Development

Goals/Overview

The SB 350 Barriers Study’s fifth recommendation is to maximize economic opportunities and benefits for low-income residents from investment in clean transportation and mobility options by expanding workforce training and development. The goals of this recommendation are to:

Expand and increase connections to good quality clean transportation jobs;
Bridge gaps in access to workforce development programs for youth and adults, job training, and career advancement opportunities;
Maximize investments that address community-identified needs; and,
Aid economic recovery through direct workforce training and development investments in communities.

These goals align with California’s broader efforts to support zero-emission vehicle (ZEV) workforce training and development, including the State’s Zero-Emission Vehicle Market Development Strategy, which highlights workforce training and development as a key pillar, and Putting California on the High Road report, which outlines a vision for integrating economic and workforce development into major climate policies and programs in order to help achieve California’s major climate goals. Through its SB 350 collaboration with the California Energy Commission’s (CEC) Clean Transportation Program, CARB has implemented several efforts to support the goals of this SB 350 Barriers Report recommendation and continues collaboration on ZEV and ZEV infrastructure workforce.

Status

Over the past few years, CARB has allocated funding for various workforce training and development efforts. CARB has partnered with the CEC to implement the Inclusive, Diverse, Equitable, Accessible, and Local (IDEAL) Zero-emission Vehicle (ZEV) Workforce Pilot. With a combined budget of $6.5 million, IDEAL ZEV Workforce Pilot supports large and small training and education community investments for ZEVs, charging and fueling infrastructure, and ZEV-related commercial technologies statewide, including community and employer engagement with pathways toward clean transportation jobs. CARB is working with CEC to evaluate whether these projects could be readily replicated in other areas of the state and benefit additional priority populations.

CARB has also allocated $1.5 million in FY 2021-22 funding and has executed agreements for two projects to support existing ZEV and technology adult education and vocational school programs. This investment supports CARB’s equity goal of expanding benefits of clean mobility investments and partnerships beyond state agencies to non-traditional workforce partners rooted in communities.

To date, approximately $2 million in FY 2021-22 funding is also being leveraged to fund expanded ZEV workforce training and development opportunities through California community colleges. CARB has partnered with the Foundation for California Community Colleges (FCCC) to increase the number of skilled ZEV-trained individuals entering the California workforce, with a focus on programs serving disadvantaged communities. This investment supports six local community college ZEV programs, a targeted Student Ambassador outreach program, and a landscape analysis of community college programs in the ZEV space. These efforts complement the efforts mentioned above, along with broader state and local investments. They are also a conduit for better understanding workforce needs in communities and determining where future clean transportation program investments should take place.

CARB also prioritizes workforce training and development through existing clean mobility pilots and Sustainable Heavy-Duty Initiatives for Future Technology (SHIFT) projects. This includes support for future clean transportation needs, such as ZEV repair, charging infrastructure installation and required certifications such as the Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Training Program, and broader education and awareness. CARB continues to work with state partners to understand the full landscape of workforce training and development investments and where additional emphasis is needed to support the specific needs of those that would benefit most from these investments.

CARB has commissioned a study with the Foundation for California Community Colleges (FCCC) to study ZEV pathways. The Zero Emission Vehicle Career Pathways in California’s Community Colleges is in development and will be released in 2026.

As the ZEV-related workforce training and development efforts described above are fully implemented, CARB will evaluate these efforts and consider whether future additional funding should be directed to similar or other types of workforce training and career development opportunities. Additionally, CARB will continue to leverage partnerships that advance ZEV-related pathways and jobs.

Resources

Resources related to workforce training and development funding and other opportunities include: