The changing global economy has hit low-income communities the hardest. As America builds toward a new green energy economy, however, the opportunities for reinvestment in these communities are significant.

By training low-income residents for crucial “middle skill” jobs in construction, energy, and infrastructure-related projects and by ensuring these government-supported projects employ and benefit residents of low-income communities, we can create a true opportunity ladder.

Workers in the 21st century economy will require a host of new skills to compete.   Many of these jobs will require technological expertise to reconstruct roads, fortify transit and water systems, and expand alternative energy sources and telecommunications networks.

This new, more demanding economy won’t automatically set aside space at the table for low-income people, many of whom are people of color. That is why job training programs, apprenticeships, and other workforce development efforts are vital to expanding economic opportunity to all people.

REPORT, JUST RELEASED!

Expanding Opportunity: Employing the Formerly Incarcerated in the Green Economy provides information to enable efficient and equitable hiring of people with criminal records using Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP) funds. Published by the National Employment Law Project, with help from the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights and PolicyLink, the document serves as an easy-to-use resource for agencies that oversee WAP programs, contractors, and education and training providers. Expanding Opportunity is also a resource for community organizations and advocates working to promote fair opportunities for people with criminal records within the emerging green sector. 

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