Ares Charitable Foundation, the charitable wing of Ares Management Corporation, has announced the launch of a five-year, $25 million initiative to prepare and reskill individuals for climate-resilient jobs in the United States and India.

The Climate-Resilient Employees for a Sustainable Tomorrow initiative aims to train and place individuals in clean energy jobs, raise awareness about climate-resilient careers, and enable a just transition to clean energy. To that end, the initiative will operate in partnership with Jobs for the Future, which will examine models that effectively upskill individuals for climate-resilient jobs in the U.S; and World Resources Institute, which will help build the resilience of India’s micro, small, and medium enterprises to ensure they can withstand climate-related shocks and drive global supply chain equity.

According to the foundation, while the U.S. Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act includes $550 billion for roads, bridges, and climate change mitigation activities, labor experts and economists believe there is not enough funding or proven solutions to train the workers needed to fill the jobs the act has the potential to create.

“The for-profit, nonprofit, and public sectors increasingly recommend and fund climate change mitigation strategies with little attention paid to developing a skilled and diverse workforce to fill these critical new roles,” said Michael Arougheti, board chair of the Ares Foundation and president and CEO of Ares Management. “Career preparation and reskilling is a funding priority for the Ares Charitable Foundation, which positions us well to address the labor market challenges the climate crisis poses. CREST will not only help prepare people to successfully enter green careers, but will also engage key stakeholders to aid in devising practical, actionable solutions that make a just transition possible.”

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