Maine is launching a job portal to connect people with clean energy jobs.

State officials are trying to make it easier for people to find clean energy jobs in Maine.

On Wednesday, the Governor’s Office of Energy launched the Maine Clean Energy Jobs Network, a recruiting tool to connect qualified job seekers with clean energy employers and training programs.

The job offers network is coordinated with the Department of Labor and the Department of Economic and Social Development. Job seekers and Maine-based employers who are hiring are encouraged to post job openings, review open positions, and learn about clean energy training programs. Joining the network is free and will be promoted through a marketing campaign.

Dan Burgess, director of the Governor’s Office of Energy, said the tool will strengthen Maine’s clean energy economy by “making it easier to find good jobs in the sector and helping Maine-based companies recruit qualified candidates to meet the growing demand for energy workers.” pure energy”.

Richard Burbank, president of Evergreen Home Performance, said the job network will also help immigrant workers access resources in their native languages.

The state announced the jobs initiative two weeks after releasing a study that touted Maine’s “clean energy economy,” saying it supported 15,000 jobs at the end of 2022, or about 2.3% of the state’s workforce. amounting to 656,400 people.

The job postings most recently posted on Wednesday reflected a range of positions such as solar designer, solar installer, carpenter, programmer and excavator crane operator. A drill digger is a truck with a crane used to dig holes and embed power poles in the ground.

ReVision Energy, which installs solar equipment, heat pumps and backup batteries, has posted a number of positions, including ones as diverse as vice president and facility and warehouse associate. Fortunat Mueller, president and co-founder, said the company helped the state test the new facility by acting as “guinea pigs.”

He said the South Portland-based company spends a significant portion of its advertising budget on finding qualified job candidates, adding that in an aging state like Maine, “more electricians are retiring than are being hired.”

ReVision uses social media and partners with other organizations on apprenticeship programs to attract workers. It also employs a “climate educator” who visits as many as 30 schools a year to promote trades such as electrician and other trades, Mueller said.

The climate educator encourages students to start sustainability clubs or “green clubs,” visit renewable energy companies, join environmental organizations, or monitor their home energy use.

In 2022, the state energy office awarded $2.9 million to nine entities for clean energy workforce development programs to attract new workers, provide job training and new skills, increase diversity and representation, and ease entry into the workforce in clean energy. In December 2023, the office awarded $1.3 million in grants to three entities to support clean energy innovation through new business accelerator and incubator programs to launch in Brunswick, Portland and Waterville.

The Governor’s Office of Energy is seeking applications for clean energy and energy efficiency workforce development and training programs. The money is intended to support initiatives such as clean energy job training, job placement services, scholarships, equipment, curriculum and other related services for Mainers aged 16 and older.

Copy link to story

” Previous

Home sales in Maine are rising for a third month and prices are near record highs

Next ”

Consumer agency says buy now, pay later Companies must comply with credit card standards