On 9th March 2010, Mayor Michael Nutter joined the National Community Action Foundation (NCAF) and ExxonMobil to award Philadelphia’s Energy Coordinating Agency (ECA) a grant from the NCAF/ExxonMobil Weatherization Training Partnership to establish an apprenticeship model for weatherization technicians. This event also celebrated the opening of ECA's John S. and James L. Knight Green Jobs Training Center.
The $750,000 NCAF/ExxonMobil Weatherization Training Partnership grant will enable ECA to work with partners to create a skills-based training course that includes preparatory classroom lessons, lab and field experience, and a year-long apprenticeship program. Through this project and other efforts, the ECA will train more than 600 men and women this year for jobs in energy efficiency and weatherization fields.
“This program will create new jobs and training programs at a time when the state needs it most,” said Mayor Nutter. “The Energy Coordinating Agency has a long history of meeting the needs of our community and I thank National Community Action Foundation, ExxonMobil and the Knight Foundation for supporting their efforts.”
ExxonMobil donated $5 million to the NCAF/ExxonMobil Weatherization Training Partnership and this provided the basis for a competitive weatherization training grant program. "The Weatherization Training Partnership is based on our shared belief that energy efficiency and economic development are inextricably linked,” said Kenneth Cohen, vice president of Public and Government Affairs for ExxonMobil. “Programs like those operated by the agency will expand career opportunities for American workers and help American families save money by making their homes more energy efficient.”
“Weatherization is a critical tool in the quest for greater energy and economic efficiency,” said David Bradley, executive director of the National Community Action Foundation. “NCAF and ExxonMobil are proud to award one of our weatherization training partnership grants in Philadelphia.”