IREC Applauds Funding Focus on National Industry Partnerships to Close Skills Gap
Yesterday, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) announced the availability of final round funding under the Trade Adjustment Assistance Community College and Career Training (TAACCCT) initiative. This installment of four significant investments to help build the capacity of the American community college system is unique in that it makes additional funding available to those applicants…
Yesterday, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) announced the availability of final round funding under the Trade Adjustment Assistance Community College and Career Training (TAACCCT) initiative. This installment of four significant investments to help build the capacity of the American community college system is unique in that it makes additional funding available to those applicants who propose to develop partnerships with national industry groups or employers to scale strategies across the country.
An additional $450 million will now be available to community colleges and other eligible institutions and is focused on ensuring that students and workers have the knowledge and skills they need to work in the modern economy.
“IREC applauds DOL’s emphasis on partnering with industry on a national scale with this most recent round of TAACCCT funding,” says Jane Weissman, IREC president and CEO. “IREC works with industry and education and training organizations across the country to ensure that quality training matches skills with current and future clean energy jobs, and so is uniquely positioned to support community colleges in their efforts to deploy the market valued training prioritized by this round of TAACCCT funding.”
In its role as a leader in clean energy workforce development – a national standards developer and credentialing organization – IREC is a member of the National Network of Business and Industry Associations, recently convened by ACT Foundation and the Business Roundtable to coordinate cross-sector efforts to close the “skills gap.”
The National Network represents major business sectors and is funded through a collaborative partnership of ACT Foundation, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Joyce Foundation and Lumina Foundation. Members include leaders in the manufacturing, retail, healthcare, energy, construction, hospitality, transportation and information technology sectors. They represent the source of nearly 75 percent of projected U.S. job growth through 2020 (an estimated 30 million new jobs).
