A bill that would dedicate up to $1 million in training for wind and solar workers from the Department of Workforce Development ‘s First Forward Program will likely be voted on by the Senate at the end of the floor session late March. AB 237 passed the Assembly and was sent to the Senate. A public hearing on SB 218 January 22 was supported by utilities and numerous other groups with no one registered in opposition. The bill passed in the Senate Committee on Economic Development, Commerce and Trade, but still needs to be voted on by the full senate.
The solar and wind worker trades are listed as the number 1 and number 2 fastest growing trades in the country by the Bureau of Labor Statistics growing at rates of 63 and 57 percent with median annual salaries of $42,680 and $54,370 respectively.