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Orange RPU PY 2025-2028 Regional Plan
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<br />by 2035, and the expansion of renewable energy infrastructure, the RPU aims to develop
<br />and expand strategies that support industry transitions while ensuring economic
<br />opportunities for workers across Orange County85. These efforts will require cross-sector
<br />collaboration, employer engagement, and investment in workforce development
<br />initiatives to prepare the regional workforce for the changing demands of a carbon-neutral
<br />future.
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<br />The RPU will align with California’s High Road Training Partnerships (HRTP) framework
<br />to promote and encourage the adoption of high-road workforce principles in clean energy
<br />jobs. The HRTP model connects industry, labor, education, and workforce stakeholders
<br />to develop training programs responsive to industry needs while ensuring job quality and
<br />equitable access to economic opportunity86. Within clean energy, HRTP partnerships can
<br />support workforce strategies that prepare workers for high-demand occupations, such as
<br />solar panel technicians, wind turbine specialists, electric vehicle infrastructure installers,
<br />and energy efficiency experts. These programs emphasize skills training, employer
<br />collaboration, and career pathway development to create sustainable, high-quality jobs in
<br />growing green sectors87.
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<br />While the RPU does not have direct control over job standards, it will use industry sector
<br />engagement, business outreach, and employer education to emphasize the long-term
<br />benefits of adhering to high-road workforce principles—such as offering family-sustaining
<br />wages, benefits, career advancement opportunities, and worker protections.
<br />Furthermore, as state and federal funding opportunities become available, the RPU will
<br />work toward securing additional grants to support specific regional workforce projects that
<br />align with high-road principles. By fostering an understanding of how high-road practices
<br />contribute to business success and regional economic prosperity, the RPU aims to
<br />support a more equitable and sustainable workforce.88
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<br />Additionally, the Orange County CAP and the Jobs First Regional Plan highlight the
<br />region’s strengths in green technology and clean energy employment, noting that Orange
<br />County has a 50% higher concentration in green technology jobs than the state89.
<br />Furthermore, the CAP’s Mobility and Environmental Justice sectors emphasize the
<br />expansion of sustainable transportation, EV infrastructure, and green workforce
<br />development, reinforcing the county’s potential to lead in clean energy innovation90. Given
<br />this potential, the RPU will actively explore workforce strategies that support regional
<br />strengths in clean energy infrastructure, sustainable transportation, and environmental
<br />sustainability. The CAP and Jobs First Regional Plan’s workforce strategies closely align
<br />with the RPU’s goals for ensuring economic inclusion in the green economy, emphasizing:
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<br />• Expanding workforce training programs for clean energy, water conservation, and
<br />green building technologies.
<br />• Developing apprenticeship programs in emerging green industries.
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<br />85 California Air Resources Board. 2022 Scoping Plan for Achieving Carbon Neutrality. Sacramento, CA: California Environmental Protection Agency, 2022.
<br />https://ww2.arb.ca.gov/sites/default/files/2022-12/2022-sp.pdf.
<br />86 California Workforce Development Board (CWDB). High Road Training Partnerships (HRTP) Initiative. 2023. https://cwdb.ca.gov/initiatives/high-road-training-partnerships/
<br />87 Carol Zabin, Putting California on the High Road: A Jobs and Climate Action Plan for 2030 (Berkeley, CA: UC Berkeley Labor Center, 2020),
<br />https://laborcenter.berkeley.edu/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Putting-California-on-the-High-Road.pdf.
<br />88 Carol Zabin and Jane Flanagan, California’s Climate Investments and High-Road Workforce Standards (Berkeley, CA: UC Berkeley Labor Center, 2023),
<br />https://laborcenter.berkeley.edu/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Californias-Climate-Investments-and-High-Road-Workforce-Standards.pdf.
<br />89 Orange County Waste & Recycling. (2024, August 1). Draft preliminary Climate Action Plan for Orange County. Orange County Government.
<br />https://www.oclandfills.com/sites/ocwr/files/2024-08/Draft_PreliminaryCAP_OrangeCounty_08012024.pdf
<br />90 Orange County Business Council, CERF OC Regional Plan Part 1 (Irvine, CA: Orange County Business Council, 2024), https://ocbc.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/CERF-
<br />OC-Regional-Plan-Part-1.pdf.
<br />EXHIBIT 1
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