By David Wichner

Tucson, Arizona | Published: 01.07.2010

Efforts to train Arizonans for jobs in emerging renewable-energy industries will get a boost from a $4.8 million federal job-training grant announced Wednesday by the U.S. Department of Labor.

The grant — part of $100 million in federal stimulus funding nationwide — was awarded to the Austin, Texas, Electrical Joint Apprenticeship Training Committee in part to provide immediate training for solar power plants under development in Texas.

The grant also will fund "capacity-building" efforts — consisting mainly of training for instructors — in Arizona, Oklahoma, Kansas, New Mexico and Texas.

Gilbert Ferrales, training director for the Austin training committee, said application details for the "train-the-trainer" part of the grant work will be released later through local Workforce Investment Boards.

The training will be geared toward work on large commercial-scale solar-energy projects and will start toward the end of this year, Ferrales said.

An official of a local electrical apprenticeship program said the group will apply for the training to help take its solar-energy installation training program to the next level.

"I think this is going to be huge for us," said Karen King, training director for the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 570-National Electrical Contractors Association Apprenticeship and Training Committee.

King said the IBEW local already has an introductory program on photovoltaic technology, and the new training will help expand that and add training for journeymen electricians.