Meet Dr. Kimberly Moore, Head of a New, Innovative Manufacturing and Clean Energy Program

Dr. Kimberly Moore was recently named Executive Director of the National Clean Transportation and Advanced Manufacturing Electrical Training Trust (DBA Clean Technology Training Trust), a joint effort between the IBEW and management partners.

We sat down with Dr. Moore to learn about her work and the new opportunities in clean technology training the Trust offers to IBEW members.  

Can you tell our readers about your background? 

I bring more than two decades of experience leading workforce and economic development, education, and innovation.  

Prior to this current role, I served as the chief executive officer for an economic and workforce development organization that was a public-private partnership. I also served as the Chief Workforce Innovation Officer and Vice President for Workforce Innovation at the college level, driving workforce innovation in education. And I’ve worked to develop and scale regional and statewide initiatives in partnership with industry. This includes providing strategic advising and developing best practices that have been nationally recognized and adopted for replication. 

What does the Trust do? 

The Trust was established with two primary areas of focus. The first is ensuring that there is a workforce in the fastest growing sectors of clean transportation and advanced manufacturing 4.0. The second is to serve as a trusted convener—connecting industry, labor, and education to drive alignment and increase speed to skill. Through this collaboration, we create pathways that fuel the growth of the clean economy. 

We want to build a scalable, employer-driven apprenticeship model to accelerate the preparation of a future-ready workforce. These apprenticeships will be aligned with industry and tailored to meet their needs. We want to prepare a workforce, not just for today, but also for tomorrow.  

As a national convener, we’re looking at aligning local training centers, industry, associations, and unions across the nation. We’re leaving no community left behind when it comes to the clean economy. 

We are working in collaboration with a network of both national and international organizations, beginning with IBEW and NECA. And we are pairing that alliance with a number of industry associations that include CALSTART, a business advocacy group that is focused on promoting clean transportation technologies, NAATBatt International, the trade association for Advanced Battery Technology in North America, and the Working for America Institute (WAI).  

What has been the response from the industry so far?  

Overwhelmingly positive. Employers recognize that the shift to clean transportation and manufacturing is not just about technology. It’s about people.  It’s about empowering a skilled workforce that enables industry to grow, innovate, and sustain the clean economy. 

We’ve seen strong interest from public and private sectors, whether that’s manufacturers, transit agencies, or school bus fleets. They understand the importance of a highly skilled electrical workforce and can appreciate the history and track record that our connection to the IBEW brings. The Trust is backed by nearly 300 IBEW NECA training centers and the largest electrical workforce in the world.  

The idea of clean transportation is familiar to many people as we see more electric vehicles and transit. But many people are unaware of clean manufacturing. Can you talk about this area and the opportunities it provides? 

Within the transportation sector, medium- and heavy-duty zero-emission vehicles also play a key role in advancing clean technology. They represent a critical component of the nationwide shift toward electrification. 

As for clean manufacturing, this is the next wave of industrial manufacturing. We’re coupling sustainability and innovation. That includes advanced manufacturing processes like battery production, semiconductor and chip fabrication, robotics, automation, and even lithium-ion battery recycling and reuse.  

These industries not only reduce emissions but also help modernize how America views its supply chain. It creates high wages and highly skilled jobs. Workers see this as a new career ladder for them. It’s an opportunity to re-industrialize responsibly, making sure that local talent is not only skilled for local work but also for global competition. And for employers, it means they have a trained and skilled workforce that’s prepared to meet today’s needs as well as the needs of the future.  

What are some challenges that the Trust faces? And how are you dealing with the Trump Administration cutting clean energy programs?  

Our biggest challenge is not the lack of opportunity, but rather the speed of transformation. Because technology is advancing so rapidly, we have to ensure that our training programs evolve just as quickly. It’s also our biggest area of opportunity.  

Our model is built on the strength of industry partnerships, union leadership, and training infrastructure. And the great thing about that is that with the 100-plus years that the IBEW has been around, it is the Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval when it comes to this electrical workforce that we’re building on, so it gives us the staying power, regardless of the political landscape.  

Our focus is on collaboration, innovation, safety, and work readiness. I believe that will be how we remain nationally competitive, regardless of the political environment.  

How will IBEW members benefit from the Trust?  

IBEW members are at the heart of this work. The Trust programs are designed to expand opportunities for existing members, providing them with opportunities for skill upgrades, while opening doors for the next generation of electricians and technicians. IBEW members will gain exposure to new training modules, certifications, and apprenticeship pathways in zero-emission transportation and manufacturing.  

These opportunities help to future-proof members’ skills. In a nutshell, the Trust is working to ensure that IBEW members remain the go-to experts for powering clean transportation and advanced manufacturing. The future is in these two areas. 

How will industry benefit? 

The Trust is very interested in partnering with industry associations and organizations that support the talent pipeline. We invite them to the table because we want to make sure that we have our finger on the pulse with the immediate needs of business and that our training stays current. Their voices help us do just that.  

The Trust wants employers in these specific sectors to be aware that it is a key resource for upskilling and reskilling their existing workforce and skilling their future workforce. We are forming a National Advisory Council for those interested in learning more about what this opportunity means and making sure they’re at the table with us charting the future of this work. 

We want to bring industry, industry associations, the public sector, education, and our affiliate partner, the IBEW, together to collaboratively and strategically address evolving workforce needs. I invite industry leaders to consider the trustee opportunities available on our labor-management board and play an active role in shaping this work. They can reach out to me to learn more about those opportunities at info@cleantechnologytrainingtrust.org.