With workforce aging out, new program aims to train 300 Mainers for renewable energy jobs

Photo / Courtesy, Associated General Contractors of Maine Students with Associated General Contractors of Maine’s South Portland High School and Tri-County Technical Center programs recently explored careers in solar energy construction at ReVision Energy. There was a session on decoding electrical switch mechanics.

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By Laurie Schreiber

A new workforce development program is setting out to put 300 workers onto high-skill, high-wage career pathways in the field of renewable energy.

The $2 million Green Jobs for ME program aims to develop engineers and managers in construction and skilled trades, and there's no cost for the participants, reducing the financial barriers to career growth.

Green Jobs for ME will provide job seekers with education, on-the-job training, subsidized work experience, pre-apprenticeships and apprenticeships, stackable credits and certificates and associate and bachelor's degrees.

The program is funded by a U.S. Department of Labor grant awarded to and managed by a Brunswick-based workforce development board, Coastal Counties Workforce Inc. Workforce Solutions, operated by Goodwill Northern New England, will provide the services.

“We’re very excited to be able to provide job seekers with the education and training they need to have successful careers in renewable energy with this grant,” said David Wurm, senior director of workforce services for Goodwill Northern New England.

“A lot of our partners are local businesses in the renewable energy field who will benefit from working with program participants as much as the job seekers will benefit from them,” Wurm said.

Two people on the roof are part of a training session.

Photo / Courtesy Associated General Contractors of Maine

Associated General Contractors of Maine’s South Portland High School and Tri-County Technical Center programs recently converged at ReVision Energy’s training center in South Portland, including a session on harness safety.

Employment partners include Cianbro, ReVision Energy, ClimateWork Maine, Dirigo Solar, Evergreen Home Performance, Associated General Contractors of Maine, Reed & Reed, Assured Solar and Croft.

“The resources available to participants of this program are incredible,” said Kelly Flagg, executive director of Associated General Contractors of Maine.

The need for workers in the renewable energy industry is pressing, Wurm told Mainebiz.

“We’ve got an aging workforce, especially in construction and also in engineering,” he said. “The needs of both industries are changing rapidly as we look at what’s needed for renewable energy. So we needed to prioritize this.”

Priming the pipeline

In today’s tight labor market, where will program participants come from? The program has identified some possibilities, said Wurm. They include women interested in non-traditional occupations, young adults, people with disabilities, immigrants and people coming out from incarceration.

Some of the training is already underway.

“This funding allows us to go bigger,” adding more people and also the development of more training opportunities, such as through the community college system, adult education and employer training, he said.

“We have some pipelines and we’ll keep going,” he said.

The goal is to add 315 skilled and qualified workers to the state’s workforce over the next five years. The program could also foster discussion among partners about where training needs to be developed, in pursuit of building a blueprint for more scalable solutions, he said.

“The need is definitely there,” said Flagg. “The technology is advancing and our knowledge and skills need to advance along with it.”

“Renewable energy” covers myriad fields, she noted. It encompasses jobs in building, construction and electrical; welding and metal fabrication; HVAC and plumbing; science, engineering and design; and business development, marketing and administration.

“It’s the same traditional craft skills that are needed for other infrastructure projects that translate into the ability to build more clean energy projects,” Flagg said.

As of 2022, Maine had 15,020 clean energy workers, but that’s not enough, according to the Maine Clean Energy Job Network, which is part of the Governor's Energy Office. One in two clean energy employers are looking to grow their workforce and Maine will need to fill thousands of clean energy jobs over the next decade.

According to the network, Maine will need to fill 30,000 clean energy jobs by 2030. Other statistics that illustrate the growth of the sector:

There are more than 2,500 clean energy businesses in Maine.
5.1% of all jobs in Maine are clean energy-related construction jobs.
From 2015 to 2021, there was growth of 60.1% in the number of solar photovoltaic installers in Maine.
Maine’s clean energy economy grew more than three times faster than the state's overall economy between 2016 and 2022, increasing by 14% and adding nearly 2,000 jobs.

Clean energy refers to renewable and zero-carbon energy sources. In Maine, they include wind, solar, hydro and biomass. The state has a goal of utilizing 80% renewable electricity by 2030 and 100% by 2040.

Those goals are going to keep workers busy in the construction industry, which already has its hands full.

“Construction is a very busy industry these days, which is not a bad thing,” said Flagg. “From a workforce perspective, there’s a unique opportunity to train the future workforce when there’s sustainable work available.”

Green Jobs for ME is open for enrollment. For more information, click here.