Portland Adult Education to Expand Heat Pump Apprenticeship Program

July 31 — Portland Adult Education received $416,179 to strengthen its renewable energy preparation and bridging programs by adding training focused on heat pumps and heating. The organization plans to use the funds to prepare up to 150 people for clean energy careers.

Including Portland Adult Education, the Maine Governor’s Office of Energy awarded a total of $2 million to be split among six programs in the state: Maine Math & Science Alliance in Augusta, Biddeford School Department and Biddeford Adult Education, Oxford Hills and Nezinscot Adult Education, PassivhausMaine in Freeport and the University of Maine in Orono.

“These targeted investments will enable Maine residents across the state to access good-paying clean energy jobs,” said Laura Fortman, commissioner of the Maine Department of Labor.

Portland’s adult education program specifically targets individuals who face barriers to employment, including unemployed or underemployed non-native English speakers, women, and other marginalized groups.

These grants, made possible by federal funding, will be administered through the Clean Energy Partnership, an initiative that works with multiple sectors to expand Maine’s clean energy industry. The partnership has awarded two previous iterations of Clean Energy Workforce Development Grants: $2.9 million to nine programs in 2022 and $1.3 million to three entities in 2023.

There are currently more than 15,000 clean energy jobs in Maine, and according to a report from the Governor’s Office of Energy, that number is growing faster in Maine than in any other state in New England. The report details that clean energy was expected to account for $2.3 billion of Maine’s economy in 2022.

“New clean energy projects lower energy costs, reduce harmful emissions and create good-paying jobs for Maine residents,” said Governor Janet Mills.

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