PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Philadelphia received a $1.47 million federal grant to develop a workforce program that will train a new generation of workers in the electric vehicle industry.
Through the Plug In Philly initiative, workers will complete a pre-apprenticeship program, which will help launch them into full-time or union jobs in the field. They will learn to build, install and maintain charging stations for electric cars.
“This grant is going to be used to create 45 job placements,” Mayor Cherelle Parker said, “and at the same time, it’s going to expand the use of electric vehicles in our great city of Philadelphia.”
The long-term goal is to create a more diverse electrician workforce, said Lily Reynolds, director of federal infrastructure strategy for the Philadelphia Office of Transportation, Infrastructure, and Sustainability.
“Today, women and people of color are underrepresented in the trades and in all types of infrastructure careers,” she said. “Meanwhile, new federal investments in infrastructure mean an increase of job opportunities with family-sustaining wages.”
The announcement was made Monday at the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local Union 98 training facility at the Navy Yard.
“What we believe now is that if we care about our children, we invest in their future. We don’t just give them jobs — we give them careers,” said union business manager Mark Lynch Jr.
Philadelphia Managing Director Adam Thiel said the city is committed to a safe, clean and green infrastructure installation.
“We need more folks to represent our community who are trained and certified to do the work, and this program will help do that,” he added.
The program aims to enroll the first group of participants in late summer or early fall.