MassCEC Announces Workforce Capacity Building and Youth Pipeline Grants

The Massachusetts Clean Energy Center (MassCEC) today announced a new funding opportunity for grants for clean energy workforce development programs at secondary and vocational-technical high schools, colleges and universities, and community-based non-profit groups. 
“Having a highly skilled, educated workforce is a critical factor to the success of the Massachusetts clean energy sector,” said Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Richard K. Sullivan Jr., who chairs MassCEC’s board of directors. “By providing our workforce and education organizations with the means to train that talent pipeline, we are addressing industry needs and closing the skills gap.”
MassCEC has up to $850,000 available to support workforce training program enhancement, expansion or new program development activities that build the instructional capacity of staff, faculty and instructors and expose students to clean energy concepts at higher education institutions, secondary and vocational technical high schools, and community-based or non-profit organizations.  The funding opportunity will also seek projects that will work directly with clean energy companies to provide work experience to low-income high school students and disconnected youth between the ages of 16 and 24.
Applications are due February 17, 2012.  Interested applicants can learn more about the funding opportunity at an optional bidders’ webinar being held on Monday, December 19, 2011.
Click here to download solicitation documents for this opportunity. 
“Access to work experience is an important element in teaching students about career options in the clean energy industry and it provides a meaningful opportunity to understand the knowledge and skills required to develop career pathways and obtain future employment.” said MassCEC Chief Executive Officer Patrick Cloney
The funds available through this opportunity build on an existing infrastructure of projects and training programs funded by MassCEC.  Curriculum and course development strategies are available now at www.masscec.com/curriculum and at www.cleanenergyeducation.org, which catalogues  more than 140 different clean energy-related education and training programs in Massachusetts at over 80 different institutions, including universities, community colleges, vocational/technical schools, labor unions, not-for-profit groups, professional associations, and for-profit institutions.
Clean energy has made a significant impact on the Massachusetts economy in recent years and now employs more than 64,000 people, according to the 2011 Massachusetts Clean Energy Industry Report. The report identified 4,909 clean energy companies across the state that saw a 6.7 percent increase in jobs between July 2010 to July 2011.