For the first time, ACE MV is offering its Clean Energy Career Exploration Program to share information about career pathways in this exciting and growing field. From Oct. 20 to Nov. 12, participants will have the opportunity to hear from industry leaders on the Vineyard about various job opportunities in the clean energy industry, including as an electrician, HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning) technician, solar installer, energy specialist, and electric vehicle technician. Garrett Burt, program coordinator, says, “The seminar is thought of as a first step where you hear from all these different folks in various trades.”
The pilot, funded by the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center, is open to individuals entering a new career path after high school or college, or those looking to transition from their current job. There will be twice-weekly sessions at the Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School over four weeks, with local representatives from various fields sharing insights into career paths, training needs, day-in-the-life experiences, pay trajectories, and next steps.
The curriculum will cover a wide variety of topics, which ACE MV identified in conjunction with the local industry leaders who will be teaching. Executive director Alexander Bullen Coutts explains, “We all agreed that there would be a hands-on component as much as possible, so participants will be getting to see and in some cases touch what this work is like, instead of just hearing about it.”
Richard Andre and Luke Lefeber from Vineyard Power will lead the introductory model, “Energy Transition and Climate Change.” Cole Powers of Powers Electric will present the Foundations of Electricity class. The Renewable Energy session will cover solar, offshore wind, and battery storage with Rob Meyers from South Mountain, Lefeber again from Vineyard Power, and Brice Delhougne and John Guadagno from Energylogik. David Sprague of Nelson Mechanical will share about a career working with HVAC, and David Diriwachter from Autoeuropa of Martha’s Vineyard and Angie Gompert from Vineyard Transit Authority will help students understand clean energy careers in the automotive field.
Speaking with Sprague about his approach to his class on HVAC, he says, “I will explain why it’s a clean energy pathway, and the many different facets. For HVAC, it is about trying to reduce our carbon footprint and use of fossil fuels and electricity through more efficient air conditioners and heat pumps. Then it will be about what it will take [to enter the field]: You have to find a shop to take you on for an apprenticeship, a school you can enroll in, what might be your starting pay, and what it might be in 5 and 10 years.” He will also address the license structure and daily responsibilities.
Powers will discuss the severe shortage of electricians, and the benefits of training a younger generation to replace the numbers lost to retirement among the baby boomers. “It’s a great opportunity for young people whose strengths and intelligence are more geared toward mechanical inclination than academic inclination.” All the green energy trades, he points out, need qualified, licensed electricians. Still, the current shortage of licensed electricians will make it more challenging for students to find the required apprenticeships over the next few years. But as new licensed professionals enter the field each year, spots will become available. “I would say, do not stop trying,” Powers advises. “And once you get your foot in the door with a company, remain with them, because if you stay the course, it will be a beautiful, blossoming flower.”
Bullen Coutts speaks about the importance of having Vineyard presenters. “We’re working with larger Island employers who understand the big-picture landscape of a particular sector. It’s not necessarily that all these people are going to work for these employers, but [the seminar] allows participants to think about these pathways from a local perspective.”
The pilot offers more than information. “Each student will participate in our career navigation program as well with one-on-one career support from an ACE advisor,” Bullen explains. “At the end of the program, each student will have an individualized career plan that ACE can follow up on, whether that’s getting them help with tuition, transportation, talking to their employer to get time off, or setting up an apprenticeship.”
Coutts adds, “A big part of what we do at ACE is to bring greater awareness of the building trades as a potential career path, which offers a broader array of opportunities than people immediately think of, and because a lot of these local jobs are high-paying, building a life here is possible through these avenues.”
For more information, including session dates and the application deadline, visit https://acemv.org/cleanenergy/ or contact garrett@acemv.org.