Expanding equitable access to clean energy jobs in New England

Meeting our clean energy transition goals will require a skilled, strategic, and well-resourced workforce development ecosystem. To support this goal, the Foundation commissioned and published a research study on workforce trends in the region alongside Emerald Cities Collaborative—with partners Browning the Green Space, nomada Consulting, Ponder Analytics, and BW Research in 2023.

Since releasing the study we have:

• Funded organizations advocating to remove barriers to accessing jobs in state energy efficiency and clean energy programs
• Supported the nation’s Climate Careers Fund, a state-wide program in Massachusetts that offers training opportunities for entry-level and fossil fuel workers to gain green career skills that advance to in-demand roles with higher wages
• Encouraged partnerships between clean energy and workforce development organizations to improve small business awareness and participation in clean energy

Key Research Findings

Barr’s Climate Program commissioned a multi-disciplinary workforce ecosystem analysis combining surveys, executive interviews, focus groups and data and policy analyses.

We asked:

• What is the current workforce ecosystem in New England?
• How can we support job entry or retraining/upskilling pathways into clean energy for groups that are underrepresented in the clean energy industry?
• What entry points and pathways exist for minority and women-owned business enterprises (MWBEs) entering the space?
• How can philanthropy support public funding and incentives to advance clean energy workforce development?

We learned:

• The clean energy industry in New England is stable but will need to grow to meet climate goals and anticipated demand for energy technologies.

• The clean energy sector is behind other sectors of the economy in gender and racial inclusion.

• Sector growth must intentionally balance job quality and job access

• Regionally, the workforce development and clean energy sectors remain siloed in many state and local governments. Further collaboration is needed to improve connectivity across the workforce ecosystem.

• In New England and throughout the country, there has been limited philanthropic support for clean energy workforce development. Deeper philanthropic engagement could foster collaboration and support equity-centered approaches to industry growth.