DENVER — The City of Denver is building out a green workforce to make the city as climate resilient as possible.
One of those programs is reaching into undeserved and underrepresented communities and connecting people to opportunities in the solar and green technology sectors.
Ken Arellano, the green workforce administrator at CASR, said this is one of several programs funded through the voter-approved Climate Protection Fund.
“Our hope is to reach these communities and connect them with good jobs that offer livable wages and opportunities for career advancement,” Arellano said.
The program aims to partner with various green workforce training providers so people can build up the necessary skills to start their career. Participants can expect an average wage of $21.92 per hour, according to Arellano.
“We also connect them with training,” Arellano said. “And those supportive services to ensure that they're successfully complete the program, and they could successfully move to other opportunities for career advancement.”
Austin Lutz, a solar construction fellow, is in the program right now. He said he didn’t have a ton of experience int his field, but got into the program, secured internship hours while getting paid and accredited training.
“In many industries, you feel like just another number. But in construction, you can step back at the end of the day and see the real impact of your work. It's not just for the family living in the house; it creates a generational impact,” Lutz said.
Lutz believes that his work contributes to a bigger mission.
“The mission is what fuels me, and then also with how fast the future's moving, electrical, you know, contracting solar energy, sustainability, it all fits that big bubble of kind of what we have to look forward in the future. And I think it's a safe move. And it's just very cool to see all the different parts that go into it,” Lutz said.
This is one of several programs that the city is running to continue to build out the green workforce.
