Priority and Emerging Sectors

Description:

The Advanced Transportation and Renewable Energy Sector represents two industries that are experiencing significant growth within our region. Our focus in this sector is to ensure that a highly skilled workforce exists as these emerging, innovation-driven industries grow, create jobs, and advance California as the world leader in clean energy technologies.

Our region is becoming a national center of renewable energy development. Two of the three major California wind resource areas are located within our region, where new and updated wind turbines are being built along-side the country’s longest standing wind farms. With numerous projects under construction or in the permitting pipeline, the desert area of Riverside and San Bernardino Counties is rapidly becoming home to the largest number of utility-scale solar energy projects in the world. And, as the Inland Empire resumes its rate of residential and commercial growth, this region will become a significant market for small and mid-scale distributed solar installations.

The adoption of advanced transportation technologies is also growing in our region. Three of the major Southern California transit systems serve our region with clean natural gas, electric, and hybrid vehicles. More and more government, corporate, and rental fleets are purchasing electric vehicles and electric charging systems to bring down transportation costs as well as reduce their impact on the environment. The Inland Empire is also becoming a home for alternative fuel vehicle up-fitting and engine manufacturing, as well as for use in logistics and warehouse operations. In the future, high speed rail projects are expected to bring jobs to the construction and operations workforce of this region. The future is clean and bright for careers in the region’s advanced transportation and renewable energy sector.

Upcoming Events Related to Advanced Manufacturing

• Advanced Transporation Skills Panel - April 4th, 2018

News:

• Advanced Transportation Outreach Event - December 18th, 2017
• ATRE Report

Contact:

Larry McLaughlin

Deputy Sector Navigator
lmclaughlin@collegeofthedesert.edu
Hosted at College of the Desert
43-500 Monterey Avenue
Palm Desert, CA. 92260