On Wednesday, President Biden announced a new climate jobs training program, the American Climate Corps. The administration says the program could put up to 20,000 young people to work in its first year on projects like habitat restoration, climate adaptation projects, and installation of clean energy infrastructure. 

The program is modeled after FDR’s Works Progress Administration, a civil works program that put four million people to work during the Great Depression, built critical infrastructure around the country, and boosted the economy.

The American Climate Corps will pay participants and act as a jobs training program, since most positions won’t require previous experience. The administration is also proposing new regulations that would streamline entry to civil-service jobs after the program. It’s funded in part and driven by momentum from the 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Deal and the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act.