The Wayne Metropolitan Community Action Agency, a WAP Subgrantee and 2024 E&I grant recipient, set out to bridge the opportunity gap between high-demand green job opportunities and their community by providing a paid green jobs training program.
Weatherization Assistance Program
July 1, 2024
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About the Project
The Wayne Metropolitan Community Action Agency (Wayne Metro), a Weatherization Assistance Program Subgrantee and 2024 Enhancement & Innovation grant recipient, set out to bridge the opportunity gap between high-demand green job opportunities and their community by providing a paid green jobs training program.
Challenge
Wayne Metro offers more than 100 self-sufficiency programs and services to around 75,000 low- and moderate-income residents across their county in Michigan. Their goal in Wayne County is to eliminate poverty through self-sufficiency programs.
Experiencing significant growth in the last five years, Wayne Metro sought innovative programming to assist clients in achieving self-sufficiency. They identified an opportunity gap in their community where well-paying, high-demand jobs in the green jobs sector were out of reach for many due to systemic exclusion from the necessary education and skills training. This disparity was especially prevalent in communities of color in their county.
Solution
To address this issue and bridge the gap between green job opportunities and the necessary skills and training, Wayne Metro decided to create a paid training opportunity in weatherization and water conservation. This opportunity was focused in communities of color and paid $16 per hour to participants to spend 10 weeks training in three different pathways: Weatherization Home Assessor, Weatherization Installation Technician, and Water Conservation Auditor. The program includes industry-recognized trainings such as Weatherization 101 and Occupational Safety and Health Administration trainings, provided through partnerships with various community stakeholders.
The workforce model utilized by Wayne Metro is a cohort-based, paid model that provides mentorship, coaching, support, and employment placement. For the green jobs initiative, community stakeholders supported the program through training and job placements—some of which were internal to Wayne Metro’s Weatherization Assistance Program. The program also implements a continuous improvement model, reassessing the program and implementing improvements after each cohort is completed.
Positive Impact
At the time of this report, the Wayne Metro green jobs program has successfully graduated 20 participants, with all of them being individuals of color, and 65% being female. Among the graduates, 85% have secured employment within community including seven who found jobs at Wayne Metro.
The program has already gleaned valuable insights from their continuous improvement model, emphasizing the benefits of starting small and developing strong partnerships through frequent and effective communication with stakeholders, both internal and external. Additionally, it is crucial to center participants’ voices and remain flexible throughout program development and implementation.
This story was developed with content from Wayne Metro’s presentation, "Green Weatherization Jobs: Bridge the Opportunity Gap," at the 2024 National Community Action Partnership Management and Leadership Training Conference on February 15, 2024.