Jobs for the Future Awards Nearly $5 Million to U.S. Regions to Advance Economic Mobility Through Green Jobs Skilling

Six regions will receive $750,000 each to help train and place at least 25,000 individuals in high-quality green jobs to better foster economic mobility and community resiliency.

BOSTON, Nov. 12, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Jobs for the Future (JFF), a national nonprofit that drives transformation in U.S. education and workforce systems, today announced six regions that will each receive $750,000 over three years as part of its Quality Green Jobs Regional Challenge (the Challenge). The Challenge is funded through Climate-Resilient Employees for a Sustainable Tomorrow (CREST), a five-year, $25 million initiative of the Ares Charitable Foundation (the Ares Foundation). CREST supports JFF in helping to close the gap between employer demand for a skilled green workforce and the number of people ready for these opportunities to help advance economic mobility.

JFF launched this work in 2023 and received 101 applications from 40 states that proposed strategies for green jobs initiatives to address their regions’ most prevalent climate threats. The organization selected 20 regions for Phase one of the project, with 10 regions identified to advance to Phase 2 earlier this year. With this latest round of grants for Phase 3, JFF has awarded nearly $5 million in catalytic capital to communities, supporting innovative regional projects that address climate change through a focus on workforce development.

“No region is the U.S. is untouched by climate impacts, from floods to fires to drought. The time to adapt and build more resilient economies is now,” said Kristina Francis, Executive Director of JFFLabs. “Today’s announcement represents not only an investment in the future health of our planet but in setting a vision for what quality green jobs should look like and how they can play a critical role in growing vibrant inclusive regional economies.”

The six awardees have created replicable and scalable blueprints to help collectively train and place at least 25,000 individuals in high-quality green jobs, reinforcing JFF’s commitment to equitable economic advancement and environmental sustainability. The regions are especially committed to helping people of color, women, and those financially less advantaged prepare for green jobs to help reduce economic disparities and increase inclusivity in these careers. Each region will implement its blueprint in partnership with grassroots and community-based organizations, training and workforce development systems, government, industry leaders, employers, and other key stakeholders.

“These recipients embody the forward-thinking solutions we need when it comes to accelerating economic mobility,” said Taj Eldridge, Managing Director, Climate Innovation at JFFLabs. “We’re proud to support these organizations as they create new opportunities for their communities and develop solutions that contribute to a more sustainable and equitable future.”

With the support of the Ares Foundation, JFF will leverage its expertise and expansive networks of entrepreneurs, industry leaders, and public sector employers to support the regions over the next 35 months. In addition, JFF will invite industry representatives seeking to hire talent for quality green jobs to engage in training and recruitment activities.

The regional challenge recipients are:

New Energy New York (NENY) | Southern Tier of New York: NENY will launch “Empowering the Southern Tier: VR/XR Workforce Development for Quality Green Jobs and Climate Resilience.” NENY will deliver a standardized, open-source, extended reality (XR) training program in partnership with Interplay Learning for battery safety and career readiness. The program aims to prepare individuals in rural upstate New York and across the country for high-demand jobs in the battery and energy storage sector to set new national job standards for battery technicians.

Greater New Orleans Foundation (GNOF) | Southeast Louisiana: To mitigate water-related risks, GNOF, the region’s community foundation, will build employer-driven pathways into the construction and green infrastructure sectors through a sector partnership and lead a community of practice for climate-resilience projects in region. GNOF’s initiative “Quality Green Jobs for Southeast Louisiana” will focus on career preparation for Black, Indigenous, rural, and justice-impacted communities that are disproportionately affected by environmental, economic, and human outcomes.

Lyra Colorado on behalf of the Green Rural Opportunity Network (GROWN) | Rural Western Colorado: Lyra Colorado, a leader in K-12 green pathways, will co-lead GROWN to build resilient, inclusive green economies through education and workforce development, targeting K-12 students in rural areas with a focus on Latine and Indigenous communities. By working with Rural Collaboratives — regional intermediaries created through partnerships between K-12 schools, higher education, and local industries — GROWN will facilitate green skills pathways through courses and work-based learning opportunities to prepare students for the jobs of tomorrow. Together, Lyra Colorado and GROWN will build a talent pipeline responsive to the needs of each region, with a focus on construction, energy, and environmental conservation.

Portland General Electric (PGE) on behalf of Oregon Clean Energy Workforce Coalition (the Coalition) | State of Oregon: Driving towards decarbonization of the electric sector, PGE, with the Coalition, will launch a state-wide campaign to center the needs of “environmental justice communities” to help ensure they build and facilitate awareness, opportunity, and access to new jobs in the clean energy sector. The Coalition’s initiative “Reimagining Oregon’s Clean Energy Workforce” will include a one-stop website to connect individuals to training and career pathways utilizing a skills-first approach. The Coalition will also develop a CTE/STEM curriculum offering dual credit and union apprenticeship programs to help build robust career pathways by providing early and continuous exposure and skills training.

The Industrial Commons (TIC) | Western North Carolina: A leader in textile circularity in the U.S., TIC has established a nationally recognized model for community-led, rural economic development focused on rooting wealth locally. The organization’s initiative “Greening Textile Sectors and Creating Quality Jobs in Rural NC Communities” will help expand training and curricula focused on textile circularity, connect youth and the region’s low-income and BIPOC workers to quality green jobs, and support entrepreneurs and established businesses that are transitioning to offer quality green work. In addition, the initiative will help shift industry practices to support circular textile growth and advocate for policies that support the greening of the U.S. textile sector.

University of Tennessee, Knoxville (UTK) | Eastern Tennessee: UTK will lead “East Tennessee Works (ETW),” an initiative that will help bridge employers and job seekers in advanced manufacturing and green construction industries. Focusing on inner-city communities in Knoxville and rural Southern Appalachia, ETW will help connect employers to job seekers by strengthening ties with training services, labor, and social support. Leveraging the university’s cross-sector partnerships and research, ETW will help empower community-based organizations and community colleges to recruit and train Black and rural residents in “work-ready” and technical skills. The program will aim to facilitate job matching with industry partners through a flexible, scalable approach for K-12 students, adult learners, and reskilling program participants. Furthermore, the program will help ensure long-term workforce resilience and economic equity while helping to mitigate the impacts of climate change in vulnerable communities within East Tennessee.

“As the world adapts to a changing climate, we are committed to economic mobility and job creation,” said Michelle Armstrong, Managing Director at Ares and president of the Ares Foundation. “Our partnership with JFF allows us to deepen our impact in communities across the U.S. and help create a more prosperous, green, resilient future that benefits generations to come.”

To learn more about the programs that the Ares Foundation and CREST support JFF in leading, visit www.jff.org/crest.

About Jobs for the Future (JFF)
Jobs for the Future (JFF) drives transformation of the U.S. education and workforce systems to achieve equitable economic advancement for all. www.jff.org

About the Ares Charitable Foundation
The Ares Charitable Foundation (the “Ares Foundation”) is a 501(c)(3) qualifying organization of Ares Management LLC (“Ares” or the “firm”) that aims to accelerate economic equity and equality through strategic investments in career preparation and reskilling, entrepreneurship and personal finance. Established in 2021, we execute our philanthropy with the same rigor, discipline and entrepreneurial spirit that Ares brings to its investment activities and business operations. We act in accord with the firm’s core values—to be collaborative, responsible, entrepreneurial, self-aware and trustworthy—by engaging in grantmaking and mission-aligned initiatives that strengthen the communities where Ares stakeholders live and work, and where the firm does business.

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