The White House’s climate jobs training program aims to put 20K people to work in its first year

Green-collar jobs… The Biden admin announced a new climate-related jobs training program. In its first year, the American Climate Corps would train about 20K young people in sustainability skills (think: retrofitting homes for energy efficiency, installing solar panels, disaster prep). The Climate Corps could help trainees land quality jobs in green industries and is designed to attract participants from communities most affected by climate disasters.

• Examples: The $15M ForestCorp program will train young people in skills like wildfire prevention and reforestation. The Climate Corps could also train a new generation of electricians in climate-friendly tech.

• Inspo: The Climate Corps is modeled after a much larger New Deal-era work program, the Civilian Conservation Corps, which nearly a century ago employed 3M young men to enhance public lands (picture: planting 2.3B trees). 

Quittin’ for the climate… More than 24M green jobs could be created globally by the end of the decade, and young people — who are more likely to be affected by stronger storms and wildfires than previous generations — are increasingly choosing them. Over half of business-school students said they would take a lower salary to work for an environmentally responsible company. And 44% of Gen Z and millennial workers said they’ve quit a job because the company’s values didn’t align with theirs. Employers are reflecting those principles too: LinkedIn job postings requiring green skills grew 22% last year.