Ex-Inmate Transforms Lives Through Clean Energy Training
Jackie Robinson, once incarcerated, now leads a Philadelphia nonprofit to train low-income individuals for careers in the growing clean energy sector.
- Jackie Robinson, after serving 27 years in prison, has become an influential instructor at the Energy Coordinating Agency, focusing on energy equity and workforce development.
- The program, located in a converted warehouse in Philadelphia, equips students with skills to install solar panels and heat pumps, contributing to climate solutions.
- Robinson's courses aim to reduce recidivism by providing solid career opportunities in the clean energy industry, which employs over 3.3 million people and is rapidly growing.
- The Energy Coordinating Agency offers free training funded by grants, helping more than 200 people annually to become building analysts, solar panel installers, and HVAC technicians.
- The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 is expected to create over 109,000 new jobs in clean energy, highlighting the urgent need for trained workers in this field.
Associated Press 
ABC News 