Electric Bus Makers Pave the Way to Union Jobs for Disadvantaged Workers

ACCESS Development Services trains women to drive electric auto rickshaws, providing them with marketable skills that help them earn a living independently. The all-women Pink City Rickshaw Company employs the women to provide tours throughout the city and has since trained over 200 women.

East Mississippi Community College (EMCC) helps Eastern Mississippi fill high-skill jobs by educating and training local workers. The students at EMCC are each evaluated for skillsets and gaps in education, and they work on real versions or scale models of the machinery they will be using in the local factories.

Virginia's FastForward program helps students access job training programs and earn credentials faster at a lower cost, with participants paying only one third of the amount. Students who complete one of the eligible programs see their wages increase by an average of $14,869.

Nigeria's digital payment ecosystem, particularly Point of Sale (POS) operations, has emerged as an entrepreneurial solution to help young people find sustainable employment and income to support themselves and their families. With the POS systems, people can establish small hubs for cash withdrawals, bill payments and other financial services. With the help of these new ventures, youth unemployment has dropped from 53.4% to 6.5% over a four-year period.

To quickly build a skilled workforce, two Kansas community colleges and Panasonic created an accelerated 8-week apprenticeship, funded by the company and featuring tailored classroom and practical training. The program aims to fast-track workers into Panasonic's new EV battery factory while providing clear career pathways through stackable credentials.

Targeted plumbing training programs are providing women with life-changing skills, independence, and career opportunities. Led by initiatives such as the German government aid agency GIZ and the Wise Women Plumbers Cooperative, hundreds of women have become licensed plumbers, overcoming societal stigma to gain economic empowerment, improve local water management, and shift perceptions around women's roles.

Nonprofit SolarAid trains repair technicians who can fix solar energy kits. In the 2023-24 financial year, SolarAid’s teams across Zambia and Malawi repaired 2,422 solar products, reducing electronic waste, increasing the lifespan of products, and improving access to solar lights, as well as creating job opportunities

The Philadelphia-based company Solar States offers a paid training opportunity for city residents to learn to install solar panels and earn the necessary credentials to help them start careers in the industry. The company’s newest program, Find Your Ladder, is a training opportunity for people who have been through the criminal justice system.

The Women Radio Centre (WRC) works to empower the next generation of female investigative journalists, training them on reporting tactics to prevent gender disparities and promote reporting on women’s rights, as women are often underrepresented in investigative journalism. WRC also aims to equip young, female journalists with adequate training and connect them with job, networking and story opportunities. In WRC’s second year, 40 journalists have been trained and completed the program.

Immigrants Rising’s Mental Health Career Program helps undocumented state residents get into college and start careers as therapists and doctors. The Program’s goal is to increase the number of available undocumented therapists by making education easily accessible, thus creating more professionals who can better relate to other members of their community and provide more effective care.