Reporting by Christiana Freitag for Chicago Tribune:
Corea is one of 146 graduates of Waukegan’s monthlong Bridge program under the Illinois Clean and Equitable Jobs Act, known as CEJA, passed in 2021. Illinois’ ambitious climate law aims to transition the state to 100% renewable, carbon-free energy, as well as electrify the state’s transportation sector, by 2050.
Core to the landmark climate law is creating “a just transition,” said Francisco Lopez Zavala, the Illinois Environmental Council’s policy program associate. For lawmakers, this means building a clean energy workforce in Illinois’ most environmentally burdened communities.
Over 800 Illinoisans have graduated from CEJA workforce training hubs across the state, said the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Development, which oversees the program in partnership with local nonprofits and community colleges. That number continues to grow as CEJA hubs prepare for new cohorts every month.
These hubs have been launched in 14 disadvantaged and historically disinvested communities across the state, from Chicago’s South and West sides to cities like Rockford, Joliet and Aurora.