Equity Focused Workforce Development

Energy efficiency as an employment sector has grown rapidly over the past decade and continues to grow exponentially as more funding is allocated to energy efficiency. Some of the biggest workforce shortages in energy efficiency include energy auditors, HVAC technicians, and insulators. Meanwhile, communities of color experience persistently higher unemployment rates than their white peers.

This session will discuss a program by Minnesota-led Xcel Energy, CenterPoint Energy and the Center for Energy and Environment, which launched workforce development programs that address these workforce shortages by recruiting, training and ultimately employing women and BIPOC residents living in areas of concentrated poverty.

You'll also learn about the Powering Futures initiative, in which the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) teamed up with Goodwill Industries of Middle Tennessee to incorporate building science and weatherization principles into Goodwill’s existing construction training program.