Title: 2010 Q1 - Education Update
Industry sector: Education/Research
2010 Q1 - Education Update
Regional Workforce Needs Forums
The New England Clean Energy Council’s Workforce Development Group has received a $75,000 grant from the Garfield Foundation to organize a series of employer forums throughout New England.
Each of the three forums will bring together a representative group of energy efficiency and renewable energy employers to identify key workforce training needs in Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut. A report on workforce needs will be shared with the region’s education and training community so that educators can align degree and certification programs with the real needs of clean energy industry employers.
“I’ve attended too many meetings about ‘green jobs’ which were full of educators, researchers, students, job trainers and job seekers, but hardly any employers!” said Workforce Development Group Co-Chair Wanda Reindorf. “These forums are an opportunity for employers to talk honestly with each other about workforce issues, and to send an employer-focused message about our needs.”
Locations and dates for the forums are now being set.
Regional Training and Education Online Directory
The Council has joined with the Northeast Energy Efficiency Partnership (NEEP) to create a comprehensive online directory of training and education programs in the six New England states, plus New Jersey and New York. The online resource will include a database allowing visitors to quickly and easily seek out exactly the degree, certification or other program they desire. The directory will include doctoral, master’s undergraduate, community college, vocational school, for-profit, and non-profit programs.
The NECEC/NEEP partnership has received an $89,000 grant from the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center to help launch the project and to underwrite the cost of the Massachusetts portion of the online directory. The Council and NEEP are currently seeking funding from public and private sources.
The Council’s Workforce Development Group has also partnered with NEEP on a day-long, regional, energy efficiency workforce session at the Hyatt Regency in Boston on March 30. For more information on this event, or to register, go to http://neep.org/neep-summit/agenda/workforce-meeting.
Invite the Workforce Development Group to Speak about Careers in the Clean Energy Industry
Over the last three months, the Workforce Development Group has presented workforce information to Workforce Investment Boards, state “one stop” employment centers, non-profit job training programs, university classes, “green job” funding programs, workshops, conferences, and more. The Group’s Co-Chairs also serve on a variety of “green career” advisory groups, boards and commissions in New England.
Workforce Needs Research Update
In 2009, the Workforce Development Group issued four research reports about energy efficiency workforce and training needs in Massachusetts, funded by grants from a consortium of utility companies led by National Grid and NStar. One of these reports covered expected needs for residential energy efficiency workers, including auditors, weatherization/insulation workers, HVAC technicians, managers, administrative assistants and more.
The research team is currently updating this portion of our report to account for both dramatic changes in Massachusetts as a result of the state’s new, three-year utility plans, and for the roll-out of efficiency investments through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (aka “the stimulus bill”). The detailed information from our research will be used by state government officials to inform decisions about job training investments.
Find the original report at: http://www.cleanenergycouncil.org/files/ResidentialEEWorkforceNeeds.pdf
State Energy Sector Partnership Grant
In January, the Massachusetts Executive Office of Labor & Workforce Development was awarded $6 million from the U.S. Department of Labor for investments in green job training and support services for unemployed and underemployed workers throughout the Commonwealth.
As a member of the Massachusetts Workforce Investment Board, Workforce Development Group Co-Chair Wanda Reindorf represented the state’s clean energy sector in the effort to craft the proposal.
Contact the Workforce Development Group
For more information about the Council’s Workforce Development Group, or to get involved, email Co-Chair Kevin Doyle (kevinldoyle@gmail.com) or call Kevin at 617-877-5804.