U.S. Department of Education Takes Steps to Link Americans to Jobs

Washington — The U.S. Department of Education, along with the Departments of Energy and Labor, will try to link out-of-work Americans to jobs, training, and educational opportunities financed by federal stimulus money, Secretary of Education Arne Duncan announced on Tuesday at a meeting of the Middle Class Task Force in Denver.

“Partnerships such as this one demonstrate how government can be a catalyst for renewal as workers reinvent themselves and learn new skills,” Mr. Duncan said in a news release issued by the Education Department. “At the same time, the creative minds of America’s students will develop the emerging industries that feed a green economy if we support their growth.”

Through the partnership, the departments will share information about how they spend stimulus funds, according to a memorandum signed by the secretaries of each department. The Department of Energy also agreed to conduct a wide-ranging study into the best ways for the Education and Labor Departments to train Americans for green jobs.

The Department of Labor also announced plans on Tuesday to spend $500-million in federal stimulus money on grants to prepare lower- and middle-class workers for jobs in the energy-efficiency and renewable-energy sectors. —Austin Wright