Selected for $1.1 Million Grant Award to Strengthen Solar Installation Opportunities for Business Owners and Workers from Historically-Excluded Communities
Summary
"I am grateful to the U.S. Department of Energy for ensuring that communities of color have access to the businesses and jobs emerging from new growth sectors like solar," said President Preckwinkle. The Department of Energys investment in the people and businesses that call Cook County home will be felt for generations to come.We see a clear opportunity to improve equitable outcomes in this sector, said Xochitl Flores, Bureau Chief, Cook County Bureau of Economic Development. For example, the demographics of employees in electrical wiring and installation are representative of the gaps we aim to fill - 92% are White, 6% are Black, and the remaining 2% are either another race or one or more races, (Lightcast, 2022Q2).Cook County is one of twelve organizations selected by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Solar Energy Technologies Office (SETO)s $13.5 million Advancing Equity through Workforce Partnerships program to facilitate the rapid deployment of solar energy technologies by growing and supporting an inclusive workforce with opportunities for union membership. Thats why DOE is working to jump-start solar energy careers, especially in underserved communities, developing the long-term structures needed to deliver these jobs over the next decade.According to the 2022 U.S. Energy and Employment Report, the solar industry employs over 330,000 people and added 17, 200 new jobs in 2021. With solar power potentially contributing up to one third of the U.S. electricity supply, the U.S. Department of Energy recognizes the need for more equity and inclusivity in the industry.