Sec. 12111. Energy workforce development
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Subject to the availability of appropriations for such purpose, the Secretary of Labor and the Secretary of Energy, acting through the Director of the Office of Economic Impact, Diversity, and Employment, shall jointly establish and carry out a comprehensive, nationwide program to improve education and training for jobs in energy-related industries, including manufacturing, engineering, construction, and retrofitting jobs in such energy-related industries in order to the increase number of skilled workers trained to work in such energy-related industries, including by— encouraging underrepresented groups, including religious and ethnic minorities, women, veterans, individuals with disabilities, unemployed energy workers, and socioeconomically disadvantaged individuals to enter into the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (in this section referred to as STEM ) fields; encouraging the Nation’s educational institutions to equip students with the skills, mentorships, training, and technical expertise necessary to fill the employment opportunities vital to managing and operating the Nation’s energy-related industries; providing students and other candidates for employment with the necessary skills and certifications for skilled jobs in such energy-related industries; and strengthening and more fully engaging Department of Energy programs and laboratories in carrying out the Department’s Minorities in Energy Initiative.
In carrying out the program established under subsection (a), the Secretaries may provide financial assistance awards, technical assistance, and other assistance the Secretaries determine appropriate, to educational institutions and training programs and providers, including those serving unemployed and underemployed energy workers. The Secretaries shall distribute assistance described in paragraph
(1)in a manner proportional to the needs of energy-related industries and demand for jobs in energy-related industries, consistent with information developed under subsection (e), and to the extent practicable, ensure a geographically diverse distribution, including a geographically diverse distribution among regions of the country and among urban, suburban, and rural areas. In carrying out the program established under subsection
(a)the Secretaries shall prioritize the education and training of individuals from underrepresented populations for jobs in energy-related industries. In carrying out the program established under subsection (a), the Secretaries shall— collaborate with— to the maximum extent possible, State or local workforce development boards and State workforce agencies, to maximize program efficiency; educational institutions and training programs and providers; and employers and labor organizations in energy-related industries providing opportunities to participate in internships, fellowships, traineeships, and apprenticeships to students, including students of minority-serving institutions and unemployed or underemployed energy workers, and other candidates, such as underrepresented populations; and conduct outreach activities to— encourage individuals from underrepresented populations and unemployed or underemployed energy workers to enter into the STEM fields; and encourage and foster collaboration, mentorships, and partnerships among energy-related industries, and training programs and providers, that provide effective training programs for jobs in energy-related industries and educational institutions that seek to establish these types of programs in order to share best practices and approaches that best suit local, State, and national needs. In carrying out the program established under subsection (a), the Secretary of Labor, in collaboration with Secretary of Energy, the Secretary of Education, the Secretary of Commerce, and the Director of the Bureau of the Census, and energy-related industries, shall establish a clearinghouse on a publicly accessible website to— develop, maintain, and update information and other resources, by State and by region, on— training programs for jobs in energy-related industries; and the current and future workforce needs of energy-related industries, and job opportunities in such energy-related industries, including identification of jobs in energy-related industries for which there is the greatest demand; and act as a resource for educational institutions and training programs and providers that would like to develop and implement training programs for such jobs. The Secretaries shall annually publish a report on the information and other resources developed, maintained, and updated on the clearinghouse established under paragraph (1), including— a report providing comprehensive and detailed description of the workforce needs of such energy-related industries, and job opportunities in such energy-related industries, by State and by region; and publish an annual report on job creation in the energy-related industries described in subsection (f)(1). In carrying out the program established under subsection (a), the Secretaries, in collaboration with the Secretary of Education, the Secretary of Commerce, and the National Science Foundation, shall develop voluntary guidelines or best practices for educational institutions to help provide students with the skills necessary for jobs in energy-related industries, including jobs in— the energy efficiency industry, including jobs in energy efficiency (including architecture, design, and construction of new energy efficient buildings), conservation, weatherization, retrofitting, inspecting, auditing, and software development; the renewable energy industry, including jobs in the development, engineering, manufacturing, and production of energy from renewable energy sources (such as solar, hydropower, wind, and geothermal energy); the community energy resiliency industry, including jobs in the installation of rooftop solar, in battery storage, and in microgrid technologies; the fuel cell and hydrogen energy industry; the advanced automotive technology industry, including jobs relating to electric vehicle batteries, connectivity and automation, and advanced combustion engines; the manufacturing industry, including jobs as operations technicians, in operations and design in additive manufacturing, 3–D printing, and advanced composites and advanced aluminum and other metal alloys, and in industrial energy efficiency management systems, including power electronics, and other innovative technologies; the chemical manufacturing industry, including jobs in construction (such as welders, pipefitters, and tool and die makers), as instrument and electrical technicians, machinists, chemical process operators, engineers, quality and safety professionals, and reliability engineers; the utility industry, including jobs in smart grid technology, cybersecurity management, and the generation, transmission, and distribution of electricity and natural gas, such as electricians and utility dispatchers, technicians, operators, lineworkers, engineers, scientists, and information technology specialists; the alternative fuels industry, including jobs in biofuel and bioproducts development and production; the pipeline industry, including jobs in pipeline construction and maintenance and jobs as engineers and technical advisors; the nuclear energy industry, including jobs as scientists, engineers, technicians, mathematicians, and security personnel; the oil and gas industry, including jobs as scientists, engineers, technicians, mathematicians, petrochemical engineers, and geologists; and the coal industry, including jobs as coal miners, engineers, developers and manufacturers of state-of-the-art coal facilities, technology vendors, coal transportation workers and operators, and mining equipment vendors. The guidelines or best practices developed under paragraph
(1)shall include grade-specific guidelines for elementary schools and secondary schools for teaching energy efficiency technology, architecture, design, and construction of new energy-efficient buildings and building energy retrofits, manufacturing efficiency technology, community energy resiliency, and conservation initiatives. The guidelines or best practices developed under paragraph
(1)shall promote STEM education and energy related programs of study in educational institutions as it relates to job opportunities in energy-related industries listed under such paragraph. In carrying out the program established under subsection (a), the Secretaries shall— give special consideration to increasing outreach to minority-serving institutions; make resources available to minority-serving institutions with the objective of increasing the number of skilled minorities and women trained for jobs in energy-related industries, including manufacturing, engineering, construction, and retrofitting jobs in such energy-related industries; encourage energy-related industries to improve the opportunities for students of minority-serving institutions to participate in industry internships, apprenticeships, and cooperative work-study programs; and partner with the Department of Energy laboratories to increase underrepresented groups’ participation in internships, fellowships, traineeships, and employment at all Department of Energy laboratories. In carrying out the program established under subsection (a), the Secretaries shall— give special consideration to increasing outreach to employers and job trainers preparing displaced, unemployed, and underemployed energy workers for emerging jobs in energy-related industries, including manufacturing, engineering, construction, and retrofitting jobs in such energy-related industries; make resources available to institutions serving displaced and unemployed energy workers with the objective of increasing the number of individuals trained for jobs in energy-related industries, including manufacturing, engineering, construction, and retrofitting jobs in such energy-related industries; and encourage energy-related industries to improve opportunities for displaced and unemployed energy workers to participate in industry internships, apprenticeships, and work-study programs. There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section $15,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2021 through 2025.