Siemens Foundation Awards $3M To The Families & Workers Fund to Support Individuals Pursuing Training In The Electric Vehicle Charging Sector
As part of its EVeryone Charging Forward™ initiative, the Siemens Foundation’s most recent investment will provide wraparound supportive services to improve access to the clean energy economy.
The Siemens Foundation today announced a $3M grant to the Families and Workers Fund’s (FWF) Powering Climate and Infrastructure Careers for All, a pooled fund to leverage large-scale investments that ensure individuals from historically marginalized communities have access to the clean economy. As part of the Siemens Foundation’s EVeryone Charging Forward™ workforce development initiative, the grant will ensure accessible career pathways for all in the electric vehicle (EV) charging sector.
Through the partnership, FWF will identify and support EV charging workforce programs across the country and provide funding for services to help overcome common barriers for career success including equipment and uniforms, childcare, transportation, affordable housing, and mental health support.
“With historic federal investments to modernize our infrastructure and decarbonize our climate, we must ensure participation by everyone in our economy. There is only one path forward to do that –collaboration across government, business, labor, philanthropy, and communities,” said David Etzwiler, CEO of Siemens Foundation. “The acceleration of industry demand for workers means we must work together like never before to ensure all individuals have the resources necessary for them to secure clean energy jobs. Our partnership with FWF supports that effort and serves as a call to other funders to join us in meeting this urgent need.”
In the initial phase of the $30M EVeryone Charging Forward workforce development initiative, the Siemens Foundation and its partners sought to establish key training models and curriculum to build an inclusive EV charging workforce over the next 10 years. This recent investment aims to create an environment for career growth in this rapidly-advancing sector and enable greater opportunity and engagement in the industry.
“We are delighted to partner with the Siemens Foundation to help build a thriving and inclusive clean energy workforce,” said Rachel Korberg, Executive Director of the Families and Workers Fund. “Training for a new career is hard, and life can too often derail people from completing training or apprenticeship programs. By connecting overlooked and underestimated talent with supportive services, such as in childcare, transportation, and mental health, we can help boost program completion rates, unlock pathways to good careers, and bring new, sorely-needed workers into the clean energy economy.”
Furthering the Siemens Foundation’s goals, this week the National League of Cities (NLC) and the National Governors Association (NGA) will host their first meeting of the State and Local Collaborative to Support an Inclusive Workforce for the Electric Vehicle Charging Sector (EV Workforce Collaborative). The Collaborative is funded by the Siemens Foundation. Leveraging both organizations’ strengths and networks, the joint initiative will create pathways into the new EV Charging economy for marginalized communities. The Siemens Foundation is also collaborating with the NGA and NLC to establish a central hub of best practices for a more inclusive EV charging workforce.
EVeryone Charging Forward was created in response to the rapid growth of the EV charging sector, resulting in significant demand for skilled workers across the industry. With this workforce development initiative, Siemens Foundation seeks to ensure equitable access to jobs for individuals from all backgrounds and to meaningfully contribute to the decarbonization and strengthening of the U.S. economy.
For more information on the Siemens Foundation, visit www.siemens-foundation.org
For more information on EVeryone Charging Forward, visit www.siemens.com/everyone-charging-forward.
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