The New York Power Authority Board of Trustees recently approved nearly $4 million in funding for clean energy workforce training and development programs in the state.
“Supporting workforce development is essential for a successful transition to a carbon-free, economically vibrant New York,” said NYPA Chairman John Koelmel. “The nearly $4 million in new funding approved today is part of the Power Authority’s ongoing commitment to provide New Yorkers with the tools, subject matter expertise and opportunities needed to thrive in the renewable energy sector. We are proud to play a role in creating pathways to good-paying energy jobs that contribute to the state's economic and environmental resilience.”
Since May 2024, NYPA’s board has awarded $25 million for clean-energy training, including the awards approved today to the following workforce training initiatives the Bronx Economic Development Corporation, the Laborers’ International Union of North America (LiUNA), the New York State Labor Management Committee, the Osborne Association and the Willdan Clean Energy Academy.
The funding awards strengthen NYPA’s collaboration with the New York State Department of Labor (NYSDOL), the NYSDOL’s newly established State Office of Just Energy Transition and with job-skills training organizations especially those working in disadvantaged communities and in the vicinities of NYPA power facilities, NYPA said.
NYPA notes that it actively engages with each community training organization to ensure skills training is matched with needed positions and participant success through supportive wraparound services.
NYPA’s collaboration with the skills-training organizations include input on the classroom and hands-on technology experiences of the enrollees for promoting the requisite clean energy skills and providing guidance on training locations to ensure statewide reach of the awards.
“The New York Power Authority's commitment to workforce training is a critical component of our mission to help transform the state's energy landscape into one that is adept and inclusive,” said NYPA President and CEO Justin Driscoll. “By investing in the education and skills of our workforce, we are not only preparing individuals for the jobs of tomorrow but also ensuring that New York remains at the forefront of the transition to renewable energy resources. Our continued collaboration with training organizations across the state will foster the growth of a skilled labor force capable of advancing New York’s economic and environmental resilience for decades to come.”
The Power Authority has allocated $25 million for workforce development funding this fiscal year, “demonstrating its strong commitment to building a skilled labor force for New York's clean energy future,” it said.
NYPA will continue to support workforce training initiatives as part of its expanded authority to support New York’s workforce and meet the evolving needs of the renewable energy sector.
Five organizations were approved for funding at the meeting.
Those organizations and their funding amounts are:
The Bronx Economic Development Corporation Workforce Training Initiative
The Bronx Economic Development Corporation was awarded $200,000 by the NYPA Board of Trustees to support a pilot program aimed to equip eight Bronx-based college students with the exposure and training necessary to engage in the rapidly growing clean energy industry.
Students from Hostos Community College, Bronx Community College and Lehman College will attend five clean energy-focused workshops and participate in an eight-week internship that includes a stipend.
The Laborers’ International Union of North America Workforce Training Initiative
More than $1 million in NYPA funding will support LiUNA’s existing workforce training initiative, stimulating the expansion of its pre-apprenticeship program, which prepares members of disadvantaged communities for careers as union construction craft laborers in Buffalo, the Hudson Valley and the Capital Region. The program will provide access to high-quality careers in the unionized construction industry for 70 participating students.
The New York State Labor Management Committee Workforce Training Initiative
The New York State Labor Management Committee Workforce Training Initiative was awarded more than $1.3 million at yesterday’s NYPA board meeting. The funds will support the expansion of training curriculum offered at 14 training centers throughout the state. As a result, nearly 8,000 electricians will receive training over the course of the next year.
The Osborne Association Workforce Training Initiative
The NYPA trustees approved $755,000 to the Osborne Association for a workforce training initiative that will provide 150 participants from disadvantaged communities with technical and soft skills needed to secure employment in high-demand green energy roles related to EV batteries, solar panel installation, energy auditing, and wind turbine maintenance.
The Willdan Clean Energy Academy Workforce Training Initiative
Willdan Clean Energy Academy’s Workforce Training Initiative will receive $615,000 in NYPA funding to support the training for 125 students on HVAC and heat pump systems.
The job-skills organizations, whose clean energy training programs will be supported by the latest NYPA funding awards, were selected from a competitive review of responses to a NYPA Request for Proposals (RFP) issued in July 2024.
At the NYPA trustees meeting in January 2025, $400,000 was awarded to the Energy Storage and Microgrid Training and Certification program to prepare electrical contractors and workers for safe and effective installation, testing, commissioning, maintenance, repair, retrofitting, and decommissioning of energy storage and microgrid systems.
In December 2024, the NYPA trustees approved more than $8 million for five clean energy training programs on Long Island, in Utica, New York City and at SUNY Campuses statewide.
The initial group of awards resulting from the July 2024 RFP was approved by the NYPA board in October 2024, supporting seven workforce development programs with $2.5 million.
The trustees also approved a $500,000 award to the Renaissance Technical Institute, a non-profit organization in Harlem, that provides free vocational training for “at risk young adults” who are not anticipated to graduate high school. The grant will support six-month paid internships for the participants learning to become electricians, plumbers, HVAC technicians and to fill jobs in related trades.
In the initial tranche of NYPA workforce funding approved in May 2024, $9 million was allocated for clean workforce training programs administered by the NYSDOL. The programs incorporate wraparound services for participants to assist them with transportation, childcare, stable housing, food and other support. The support helps them to overcome obstacles that would otherwise make it difficult to attend and successfully complete the programs.
Also at the May meeting, the NYPA board approved $600,000 in funding to Say Yes Buffalo’s Youth Apprenticeship program, which will place recent public high school graduates in one-to-three-year structured work-based learning apprenticeships at industry partners in high-demand sectors.
NYPA is the largest state public power organization in the nation, operating 17 generating facilities and more than 1,550 circuit-miles of transmission lines.
