The June 2022 edition of the RWFI E-Note Monthly, NETL’s Regional Workforce Initiative (RWFI) newsletter, is now available and includes details on a range of grant funding and training opportunities.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Office of Land and Emergency Management Grants and Funding has announced the availability of funds and is soliciting applications from eligible entities, including nonprofit organizations, to deliver brownfields job training programs that recruit, train and retain a local, skilled workforce for the 2023 fiscal year by prioritizing unemployed and under-employed residents to obtain the skills and credentials needed for pathways into full-time employment in the environmental field.

While brownfields job training grants require training in brownfield assessment and/or cleanup activities, these grants also require that hazardous waste operations and emergency response training be provided to all individuals being trained. EPA encourages applicants to develop their curricula based on local labor market assessments and employers’ hiring needs, while also delivering comprehensive training that results in graduates securing multiple certifications.

The newsletter also highlights several letters of intent from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE).

Reaching a New Energy Sciences Workforce (RENEW) aims to build foundations for Office of Science (SC) research and training at institutions historically underrepresented in the SC research portfolio. RENEW leverages SC’s unique national laboratories, user facilities, and other research infrastructures to provide undergraduate and graduate training opportunities for students and academic institutions not currently well represented in the U.S. science and technology ecosystem. The hands-on experiences gained through the RENEW initiative will open new career avenues for participants, forming a nucleus for a future pool of talented young scientists, engineers, and technicians with the critical skills and expertise needed for the full breadth of SC research activities.

The DOE SC program in Biological and Environmental Research (BER) announced its interest in receiving applications for RENEW grants that will target building capacity in climate and environmental science-relevant programs, particularly at Historically Black Colleges and Universities and minority-serving institutions. Funding may be requested to support experiential training, mentoring, and institutional capacity building activities in partnership with DOE national laboratory Scientific Focus Areas supported within BER’s Earth and Environmental Systems Sciences Division. BER aims to broaden and diversify institutional representation in the EESSD portfolio, recognizing there are many academic scientists at institutions not currently supported by BER who have limited familiarity with EESSD programs and research support.

The DOE SC program in Fusion Energy Sciences (FES) has also announced its interest in receiving applications for Fusion Energy Sciences - RENEW (FES-RENEW).

Previous editions of RWFI E-Note Monthly can be found in the newsletter’s online archive. Click here for more information about the NETL Regional Workforce Initiative.

NETL is a U.S. Department of Energy national laboratory that drives innovation and delivers technological solutions for an environmentally sustainable and prosperous energy future. By leveraging its world-class talent and research facilities, NETL is ensuring affordable, abundant and reliable energy that drives a robust economy and national security, while developing technologies to manage carbon across the full life cycle, enabling environmental sustainability for all Americans.