Grant competitions have opened for $500 million in Recovery Act funds for training programs that will help retool the U.S. workforce for a clean energy economy. U.S. Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis announced the availability of grants in five broad program areas that will prepare people for jobs in energy efficiency or renewable energy industries.

Of the $500 million designated in green job training the Labor Department has outlined the following breakdown:

• $150 million in Pathways Out of Poverty Grants. Eligible applicants include national nonprofit organizations that have networks of local affiliates and other partners and local entities.
• $100 million in Energy Training Partnership Grants for programs that will serve workers affected by national energy and environmental policy, workers who need training to update or transition their skills and the unemployed. An unspecified portion of the funds are for projects that serve communities caught in the wake of the foundering auto industry.
• $190 million in State Energy Sector Partnership and Training Grants for state workforce investment boards that are working with their state governors to devise a strategy that aligns a workforce vision with state energy policy and green job training on local and regional levels. A portion of this money also will be reserved for communities affected by the auto industry meltdown.
• $50 million to state employment agencies to compile labor market data on the energy efficiency and renewable energy industries — not only to build an information base, but also to support jobseekers who want to pursue work in green industries.
• $5 million in Green Capacity Building Grants to enable organizations to provide training for entry-level or gateway positions.

More information about the grants, eligibility and application deadlines is available from the U.S. Department of Labor Employment & Training Administration.