February 16, 2024
Content sponsored by
Provided Courtsey/IBEW Local Union 98
IBEW Local 98 Business Manager Mark Lynch addresses the audience as City of Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle L. Parker and Managing Director Adam Thiel look on.
Recently, IBEW Local 98 entered into an exciting new partnership with the administration of Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker; the Office of Transportation, Infrastructure and Sustainability (OTIS); Philadelphia
Community College; the School District of Philadelphia; Philadelphia Works and other stakeholders to launch a pilot pre-apprenticeship and workforce development program that will recruit and train diverse Philadelphia citizens for careers in the growing Electric Vehicle Supplies and Equipment (EVSE) industry. The initiative is being funded through a $1.5 million federal grant made possible by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. Specifically, the grant is coming from the US Joint Office of Energy and Transportation through the “Ride and Drive” Electric Vehicle grant program.
This new pre-apprenticeship and workforce development program has been dubbed “Plug In Philly.” IBEW Local 98’s award-winning Apprentice Training for the Electrical Industry (ATEI 98) program, led by Brian Myers, will be providing EV industry training for the pilot program’s initial participants.
“Plug In Philly” will create pathways to meaningful careers for all interested Philadelphians in the rapidly expanding EV industry, as well as in the Philadelphia Building Trades unions that are tasked with building and maintaining the city’s infrastructure. IBEW Local 98 has already been deeply engaged in similar efforts to provide diverse Philadelphians with greater access to our union through our participation in other innovative pre-apprenticeship programs such as Rosie’s Girls.
The Electric Vehicle revolution has begun in earnest. In furtherance of saving the world’s climate, President Biden has targeted the year 2030 for America’s conversion to an all-Electric Vehicle fleet. He also has entrusted the build-out of a national network of EV charging stations to the IBEW, home to the safest, best-trained, most experienced electricians in the industry. We are more than up to the task.
IBEW Local 98 is thrilled to be a key partner in the “Plug In Philly” program and sincerely thanks Mayor Parker and her team for counting on us to make “Plug In Philly” a super-charged success. The program is a shining example of her oft-stated commitment to making Philadelphia the safest, cleanest, greenest big city in America. Let’s go.
For more information and updates regarding the “Plug In Philly” program, email otis@phila.gov.
