Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senators Michael Bennet (D-Co), Cory Gardner (R-CO), and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) secured an amendment in today’s appropriations bill that would lay the groundwork for the bipartisan Energy Jobs for Our Heroes Act of 2018 to help veterans gain the training and credentials necessary to secure good-paying jobs in the low- and zero-carbon emissions energy industry.
“Veterans and servicemembers are uniquely qualified to succeed in cutting-edge industries,” Bennet said. “We’ll continue working to provide veterans with the tools and training they need to access the energy, cyber, artificial intelligence, and other innovation economies. I’m grateful to my colleagues for joining in this effort to lay the groundwork for our Energy Ready Vets Program.”
“I was glad to join Senator Bennet in authoring this bipartisan amendment to identify ways to help veterans secure careers in clean energy, cybersecurity, and artificial intelligence,” Gardner said. “We need to be doing everything we can as a country to identify new ways to help the brave men and women that serve our nation, and this amendment is a positive start to helping them find new and exciting job opportunities.”
“Our bipartisan amendment is the first step to helping Veterans and servicemembers who are transitioning back to civilian life get the training they need to work in some of our nation’s fastest-growing industries,” Duckworth said. “I am proud the Senate passed our amendment and look forward to working with Senators Bennet and Gardner and our colleagues on both sides of the aisle to make the Energy Ready Vets Program a reality.”
The amendment directs the Department of Energy (DoE), in consultation with the Department of Defense, to evaluate at which military installations it would be cost-effective to partner with community colleges, institutions of higher education, and the private sector to train veterans and transitioning military personnel to enter the energy, cybersecurity, and artificial intelligence workforce. Within four months, the Secretary of Energy must submit a report to Congress about its findings and make the report publicly available.
A copy of the amendment is available HERE.
More information on the Energy Ready Vets Program in the Energy Jobs for Our Heroes Act is available HERE.