Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Evitp Awards topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Panel recognizes $1.7M in EVITP awards with CEC partnership after quorum concerns; awards to 15 projects
Summary
The panel treated the Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Training Program (EVITP) awards as informational under an interagency agreement with the California Energy Commission, recognized 15 awardees totaling about $1.7 million in this round, and heard participants stress that installers must be state‑certified electricians.
The Employment Training Panel on July 18 held an information-only briefing on the Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Training Program (EVITP), announcing awards in this first tranche of approximately $1.7 million administered through an interagency agreement with the California Energy Commission (CEC).
Staff explained ETP's role as the administrative partner while the CEC leads program decisions under the interagency agreement finalized in December 2024. Jana McKinney, agreement manager in the CEC’s Fuels and Transportation Division, thanked ETP staff for their outreach and highlighted the geographic and institutional range of the projects selected — apprenticeships, JATCs, community-college partnerships and vocational providers — intended to expand the supply of EVITP‑certified electricians.
Panel discussion earlier in the meeting had flagged potential recusals among panelists for IBEW‑affiliated proposals; after counsel and staff discussion the panel agreed to proceed with non‑IBEW items at the meeting and treat EVITP awards as informational so the full array of 15 awardees could be recognized and proceed in the interagency process. Ventura County Electrical JATC was recorded as the fifteenth awardee and listed with the award amount $8,487.
Union and training representatives addressing the panel emphasized the program’s credential requirement. Anthea Jabarkos of the Los Angeles Electrical Training Institute (IBEW Local 11 training trust) described apprenticeship pipelines and outreach programs and said the union can scale seats. Panel member Matthew Newtonboom (IBEW Local 340) and other workforce organizations urged that EVITP installation work be done by electricians holding the state general electrician certification to ensure installation safety and transferable skills.
The Energy Commission’s Jana McKinney noted the CEC’s long-term charging infrastructure targets and said the commission values ETP’s administrative and outreach capacity. Staff said a second SFP will be released to distribute remaining program funds.
