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DOE OSTI2023

National Wind Workforce Assessment: Industry to Students [Slides]

As a part of the National Wind Workforce Assessment, four presentations have been created in conjunction with the technical report to provide more insight into key findings. The four presentations are catered towards specific stakeholder groups that include: educators, wind industry firms, students, and current wind industry employees. This presentation is intended for use by wind industry employers looking to gain insight into key levers that can influence hiring difficulty and actionable steps that can be taken to help narrow the workforce gap. The report includes the current perception of the wind industry by the potential workforce, current hiring difficulties faced by wind energy firms, and current hiring difficulties faced by the potential workforce. The hiring difficulties for wind industry employers are divided by entry level employees and non-entry-level employees and by cross sections such as firm size, location, value chain segment, and wind industry sector. Hiring challenges faced by students trying to enter the wind industry are divided by 2-year degree and certification programs, 4-year degree programs, and current wind employees.

17 WIND ENERGY↗

DOE OSTI2023

National Wind Workforce Assessment: Current Workers to Industry [Slides]

As a part of the National Wind Workforce Assessment, four presentations have been created in conjunction with the technical report to provide more insight into key findings. The four presentations are catered towards specific stakeholder groups that include: educators, wind industry firms, students, and current wind industry employees. This presentation is intended for us by wind industry employers and current workers, including recent graduates in work, looking to gain insight into key levers that can contribute to the narrowing or widening of the wind workforce gap. The discussion around how the wind workforce gap is brought up as it relates to current workers and recent graduates and barriers to employment for wind energy firms. It breaks down the discussion by discussing about wind industry perceptions by current workers and wind energy firms, hiring challenges by wind energy firms as well as consideration by prospective workers on the wind industry, and then lastly discusses automation and its contribution to narrowing the wind workforce gap.

17 WIND ENERGY↗

DOE OSTI2024

National Wind Workforce Assessment Methods Report: Surveys and System Dynamics Model

This report documents the methodology for the National Wind Workforce Assessment: Challenges, Opportunities, and Future Needs (McDowell et al. 2023) report. Here, the authors will describe how multiple survey efforts and system dynamics modeling have been used to estimate wind energy workforce needs and conduct a sensitivity analysis. We conducted workforce estimation and sensitivity analysis to help inform actions that can be used to ensure that workforce planning in the industry is done in a way that is sustainable.

17 WIND ENERGY↗

DOE OSTI2025

A Systems Thinking Approach to Nuclear Pedagogy and Workforce Development

Nuclear technology's controversial status has been shaped by its early use in military applications, fear driven by high-profile accidents, and unresolved waste management challenges. There have, on the other hand, been periodic claims that a “nuclear renaissance” is imminent, driven by different dynamics at different times, most recently related to growing energy demands and increasing concern over carbon emissions. In this article, we respond to urgent calls for more nuclear engineers, resulting from the latest rallying cry around nuclear energy, by reframing the problem using a systems thinking approach that illuminates new pathways for nuclear workforce development via interdisciplinary pedagogies. By building nuclear education into a wide variety of disciplines, we argue, the nuclear workforce could become more resilient to ebbs and flows in energy markets and public opinion. Widening nuclear education beyond nuclear engineers could also reduce the isolation and compartmentalization that has limited the possibilities of nuclear technology. We show how growing and diversifying the overall nuclear workforce could create a wide variety of career opportunities outside STEM and enable greater specialization within STEM, since nuclear engineers and other specialists could be freed up to focus on technological and infrastructural innovations. We argue that interventions into nuclear education should establish new connections and applications of the nuclear sciences in diverse areas of expertise to develop a broad range of professionals who can contribute to a more stable nuclear workforce, bringing what we call “critical and creative nuclear energy literacies” to long-standing and systemic challenges around nuclear energy.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗

DOE OSTI2022

Defining the Wind Energy Workforce Gap

This report shares insights as to what the wind energy workforce gap is and why it exists, and how to inform industry, educational institutions, and the potential workforce so that they can reduce barriers and better connect the wind energy workforce through existing and novel pathways. The insights used in this report were collected from two web-based surveys, one designed for industry and the other designed for the potential workforce.

17 WIND ENERGY↗

DOE OSTI2022

Expanding the Solar Workforce through the Illinois Community College System

The Illinois Green Economy Network (IGEN) is a consortium of all 39 Illinois community college districts working to grow the green economy in the state. The network aims to build capacity in sustainability and transform education by connecting business/industry and educators to resources, curating information and tools, cultivating partnerships, and advocating for change. Led by IGEN, the goal of the “Expanding the Solar Workforce through the Illinois Community College System” project was to create and sustain a comprehensive, statewide strategy that equips education and training providers, workers, businesses, and communities with resources and tools to prepare a solar workforce. A cohort of five Illinois community colleges participated in the program based on their capacity and interest, as well as their potential for and proximity to industry growth in the state: City Colleges of Chicago, John A. Logan College, Kankakee Community College, Lewis and Clark Community College, and Lincoln Land Community College. The project had three Objectives, 1) Address an unmet need by increasing the pool of skilled solar workers, 2) Keep pace with evolving needs of the solar workforce by improving programs to be more accessible and industry-driven, 3) Strengthen IGEN’s capacity as a statewide resource for solar education, training, and workforce initiatives. Overall, over 400 students were trained in solar installation practices, with over 40 businesses engaged. Additionally. the project spurred a number of innovations and the development of effective practices related to establishing and maintaining a solar installation program at a community college. This project sought to identify effective and scalable practices for developing a solar installation program which included the following components: enrolling students into aligned programs; developing curriculum and courses which meet industry needs; placing students in solar installation or related employment; and sustaining programming past grant funding. Through this project- IGEN was able to identify critical components of a solar installation program. Detailed further in this report these components describe 1) Necessary conditions for establishing a solar installation program, 2) Program structures use cases for different contexts, 3) Effective practices related to student pipeline development and program throughout. As a result of this project- all five participating community colleges have expressed support for continuing to offer solar installation training to their students. Additionally, three nonparticipating colleges in IGEN have expressed interest in adopting practice, courses, or curriculum developed through this program. IGEN has also committed to making the curriculum, course structure and other materials available on their website for accelerated adoption of effective practices both state and nationwide.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗

DOE OSTI2024

Mastering Workforce Outreach and Engagement

To meet the goals for homes weatherized with the $3.5 billion in Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funds, weatherization will require significant expansion of its workforce. This hands-on session will explore ready-to-use workforce outreach and engagement tools designed to empower your workforce development efforts and equip you with the knowledge and skills needed to maximize the impact of these essential tools in advancing workforce development within weatherization.

ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATION,↗

DOE OSTI2025

Common occupational classification system amendments for Accelerator Science and Engineering workforce

A common system to classify occupations and skills is essential to support accelerator workforce planning between the Department of Energy (DOE) National Laboratories. In 2025, ten DOE laboratories conducted a census of their accelerator science and engineering workforce and projected their accelerator workforce needs for the next ten years. To support this, revision 3 of the “Common Occupational Classification System” (COCS) was used as a common taxonomy. Modifications were made to include accelerator-specific skills and specialisms. COCS was originally developed for DOE Office of Environmental Restoration and Waste Management in 1996. The framework provides a high-level functional structure that can be expanded with further occupations and specialisms and remains well aligned to DOE laboratory roles nearly 30 years later. Accelerator occupations and specialisms were added to the framework for the 2025 effort to quantify the accelerator workforce. This document is a companion document to COCS and provides a definition for these new occupations and specialisms that do not appear in COCS. Proceeding with a stable taxonomy is seen as essential such that its use becomes easier each year; the taxonomy as used for the 2025 effort is recommended to be continued.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗

DOE OSTI2023

National Wind Workforce Assessment: Educators to Students [Slides]

As a part of the National Wind Workforce Assessment, four presentations have been created in conjunction with the technical report to provide more insight into key findings. The four presentations are catered towards specific stakeholder groups that include: educators, wind industry firms, students, and current wind industry employees. This presentation is intended for use by educators and students looking to gain insight into key levers that can influence hiring difficulty and actionable steps that can be taken to help narrow the workforce gap. The report includes the current student perception of the wind industry, current hiring difficulties faced by wind energy firms, and current hiring difficulties faced by the potential workforce. The hiring difficulties for wind industry employers are divided by entry level employees and non-entry-level employees and by cross sections such as firm size, location, value chain segment, and wind industry sector. Hiring challenges faced by students trying to enter the wind industry are divided by 2-year degree and certification programs, 4-year degree programs, and current wind employees.

17 WIND ENERGY↗

DOE OSTI2024

Summary of Massachusetts Clean Energy Center's Workforce Needs Assessment for the City of Lawrence

In July 2023, the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center (MassCEC) published an employment report titled “Powering the Future: A Massachusetts Clean Energy Workforce Needs Assessment.” This report was intended to support the State in meeting its 2030 decarbonization goals by identifying both existing workforce and training resources as well as gaps and barriers that need to be addressed in order to scale the State’s workforce to meet future demand. The following is a summary of the content that is relevant to Lawrence, MA. This was completed as part of the US Department of Energy’s Communities LEAP (Local Energy Action Program) Pilot supporting the Lawrence Stakeholders Coalition (LSC) led by Browning the Green Space in partnership with Groundwork Lawrence, All In Energy, and the City of Lawrence.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗

DOE OSTI2024

Inspiring Tomorrow's Water Power Workforce to Lead the Clean Energy Revolution

Renewable water power, including hydropower and marine energy, will play a key role in building a reliable and flexible 100% clean energy future. That future needs a larger, modern workforce - one that's more diverse, equitable, and inclusive - to power and improve these technologies. And researchers at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) are committed to fostering tomorrow's water power workforce through science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) and workforce development programs. Through events, online resources, and more, the lab aims to engage and inspire careers in water power.

app↗

DOE OSTI2025

Building a Clean Energy Workforce: Best Practices for State Energy Offices

As federal investments into the clean energy economy are underway, State Energy Offices (SEOs) are engaging in efforts to grow the workforce through the creation and/or funding of workforce initiatives that recruit, train and support pathways into energy efficiency and clean energy jobs. This report provides a summary of clean energy workforce development best practices, supplemented by case studies and lessons learned from several SEOs that showcase these strategies in practice. SEOs can reference this resource as they implement, manage, oversee, and/or evaluate efforts their offices are undertaking through various federally funded programs.

clean energy↗

DOE OSTI2024

Introduction to Workforce Development Energy Futures Grant [Slides]

To support Energy Futures Grant awardees in pursuing workforce efforts to support their broader projects, this presentation provides an introduction to workforce development, including what it is, who is involved, employment considerations, and an overview of the process for creating new clean energy workforce programs.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗

DOE OSTI2022

1.4.2.403 - Water Power STEM Workforce Development (Hydro)

As interest in renewable energy grows, water power technologies will continue to play a robust and growing role. However, the industry needs new talent to spur innovation and to support industry needs. With one-quarter of the domestic hydropower workforce retiring in the coming decade, the need to fill the workforce pipeline has never been more critical. The lack of new hydropower development has limited the number of educational programs focused on this sector at all levels of education. NREL has a long track record of working to address educational needs across the renewable energy spectrum. Leveraging this track record, this project brought the Hydropower STEM Portal to water power stakeholders fueled by information from a multitude of sectors, our partnership with the Hydropower Foundation, NEED, and others. The team has also sought to integrate activities with the Bonneville Environmental Foundation, to increase dissemination opportunities and interfaces. The purpose of the portal is to be a one-stop shop to information geared at inspiring the next-generation water power professional. NREL also leverages experience in engaging with stakeholders to understand barriers to technology adoption to identify issues and drivers, provide feedback to the R&D community, work to clarify misperceptions, and inform decisions to facilitate market adoption. The outcome of this work is a more successful and diverse water power industry based on a motivated and better-trained workforce.

ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY,HYDRO ENERGY↗

DOE OSTI2022

Inspiring Tomorrow's Water Power Workforce to Lead the Clean Energy Revolution

HYDRO ENERGY↗

DOE OSTI2023

WAP Workforce Needs Analysis

As identified through stakeholder dialogue, Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP) Grantees and Subgrantees face challenges in hiring and retaining field staff in the following positions: Retrofit Installers/Technicians (RITs), Crew Leaders (CLs), Energy Auditors (EAs), and Quality Control Inspectors (QCIs). To gain a baseline understanding of workforce needs, NREL collected voluntary workforce data from May 4-June 30, 2022. This presentation includes a qualitative analysis of this data, key takeaways, and an introduction to new tools supporting WAP workforce development.

ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗

DOE OSTI2023

Gearing Up for 2030: Building the Offshore Wind Supply Chain and Workforce Needed to Deploy 30 GW and Beyond

This webinar addresses the current state and future needs of the U.S. offshore wind energy workforce and supply chain. During this webinar, National Renewable Energy Laboratory researchers Matt Shields and Jeremy Stefek will present new research on the challenges of producing thousands of offshore wind energy technology components while creating tens of thousands of U.S. jobs - and the solutions that can help meet those challenges. Topics covered in the webinar include port facilities, vessels, component manufacturing, trades and roles in the industry, workforce development and training, and the coordination of supply chain and workforce efforts between states and regions.

2030↗

DOE OSTI2023

Offshore Wind Workforce Safety Standards and Training Resource

The standardization of safety training requirements for people working at sea to build and operate offshore wind energy projects, adoption of those standards, and alignment with offshore safety training curriculum development was identified as a high-priority workforce gap in the U.S. Offshore Wind Workforce Assessment (Stefek, 2022). Safety is a top priority for the offshore wind industry; however, there has been uncertainty surrounding what unique safety standards and training will be needed and how various offshore wind safety stakeholders will be involved. The scope of safety training for this resource includes workers who build and operate offshore wind energy projects at sea and defines the stakeholders in the complex ecosystem. This fact sheet aims to help reduce these uncertainties by: 1) Delineating jurisdictional lines, while clarifying roles and responsibilities amongst stakeholders; 2) Identifying key actions or partnerships that can encourage further success with safety training and workforce development.

offshore wind↗