On-the-Job Training for Energy Efficiency and Clean Technology
NYSERDA reimburses New York employers that hire and train new clean-energy workers. Support can reach USD 11,000 per eligible new hire, including a conditional certification payment.
Denne finansieringsmulighed er i øjeblikket beskrevet på engelsk.
Employers receive fixed payments for delivering a 12-month training plan to a new worker in a full-time clean-energy job. The programme supports early-career workers with a clear skills gap; it does not subsidize experienced, highly credentialed staff hired into senior or management roles.
Payments depend on completed training and employment milestones, payroll evidence and continued eligibility. The higher tier applies if the worker lives in a designated disadvantaged community OR belongs to a priority population.
| Milestone | Disadvantaged-community resident or priority-population worker | Other eligible worker |
|---|---|---|
| 8 weeks | USD 2,500 | USD 1,875 |
| 17 weeks | USD 2,500 | USD 1,875 |
| 26 weeks | USD 3,500 | USD 2,625 |
| 52 weeks | USD 1,500 | USD 1,125 |
| Eligible new certification, with 12-month retention | USD 1,000 | USD 1,000 |
| Maximum including certification | USD 11,000 | USD 8,500 |
The certification payment requires a new eligible certification earned during the training period and 12 months of employment. The employer must pay the testing and certification fees; recertification does not qualify. Eligible certifications are those on the programme reference list when the payment request is submitted. This is a conditional extra payment, not an automatic part of every award.
Employers with up to 100 employees can submit at most ten hires outside the disadvantaged-community and priority-population groups under the limit applying to submissions from 14 January 2026. Employers with 101 or more employees can receive support only for those groups. There is no stated numerical hire limit for those groups, but NYSERDA can limit an employer's funding and all awards depend on available funds.
Do not charge the same staff, project or wage costs to overlapping NYSERDA or federal, state or local grants and incentives. A new hire's wages cannot be covered by a federal or state loan or grant programme, and their hours cannot be billed to other NYSERDA contracts during the 12-month period.
Eligibility
- Apply as a business or a labour-management organization acting on behalf of businesses. Municipalities are excluded. The employer must provide services to customers or clients in eligible energy-efficiency or clean-technology areas; manufacturing eligibility is limited to qualifying end-use products. The employer must be legally authorized to hire and operate in New York and have at least one physical New York business location associated with the hire; a home office at the new worker's residence does not qualify. The on-the-job training itself must take place at a physical business location in New York.
- Normally, at least two full-time W-2 employees must work in New York for 30 or more hours a week. The two-employee minimum is waived for qualifying registered or certified women-owned, minority-owned and service-disabled-veteran-owned businesses. Use the programme's registration definitions: women/minority-owned businesses registered with New York State or certified by New York City, and service-disabled-veteran-owned businesses registered with New York State.
- Employee counts exclude owners, principals, partners, independent contractors, subcontractors, 1099 workers and interns. Related businesses, branches and different tax IDs generally count as one entity, subject to NYSERDA's case-by-case determination; national companies and chains are treated as one entity.
- The new worker must live and work in New York, average at least 30 hours a week and receive base wages from USD 18 to USD 40 an hour, excluding commission and tips. A raise above USD 40 during training may cancel funding. Hire the person as your employee, not an independent or contract worker.
- Eligible work directly concerns energy efficiency or clean technology: heat pumps and other efficient building systems, insulation, controls, smart grids, storage, solar, wind, EV charging and EV manufacturing. Roles can include design, manufacturing of eligible end-use products, sales/distribution, installation, operation, maintenance, repair, audit, inspection or relevant training. General administration, driving and community outreach are excluded; traditional trades qualify only when the job and training directly concern an eligible technology.
- The person must be new to the employer, with no previous employee or contractor relationship and no past PON 3982 participation. Exceptions allow transitions from NYSERDA PON 4000 internships and PON 4772 or PON 5566 fellowships after their programme term, using the required employer and new-hire applications. The new worker must not be a relative of any employee; the definition includes extended, step and in-law family, domestic partners and their children.
- Priority populations include veterans, people with disabilities, qualifying low-income households, people currently working in fossil fuels or displaced from that work, people involved with the juvenile or adult criminal-justice system, people experiencing homelessness, single parents, and 16–24-year-olds enrolled in OR having completed qualifying comprehensive work-preparedness training. Youth training must combine clean-energy education and hands-on technical learning; NYSERDA assesses qualifying programmes case by case. For the income route, household income must be at most 60% of state or area median income, whichever is higher in the county, or the household must qualify for or receive assistance through the Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP), Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), or other qualifying human-service benefits.
- Keep labour, tax, unemployment, workers' compensation and disability-insurance obligations in good standing and comply with previous NYSERDA contracts. Probation or expulsion from specified NYSERDA, utility or state programmes excludes participation. Do not displace another worker or reduce their hours, wages or benefits. The intention must be to retain the new employee beyond training.
How to apply
- Status
- lukker 2. dec. 2030
- Lukker
- Vilkår for ansøgningsrunden
- Applications are accepted continuously while programme funding remains available.
PON 3982 accepts applications continuously, subject to funding, until 2 December 2030 at 3 pm Eastern Time. Complete two stages: employer registration and approval, then a separate application for each new hire.
Apply through the NYSERDA Portal. Employer approval includes a New York State Department of Labor due-diligence review. Resolve any identified deficiencies; approximately annual follow-up checks can put applications and payments on hold. Employers with no hires across the linked workforce programmes for two years may need to register again. Outside payroll agencies are considered case by case and may also be reviewed.
After employer approval, submit each new-hire application within 30 days of the worker's full-time start date. Include employment details, a clear entry-level job description, New York residency evidence and a 12-month training plan on NYSERDA's template, signed by the worker. Specify duties, their frequency, training methods and the percentage of training hours for each activity. Return requested application revisions within ten days or risk rejection.
Check the worker's home address against the official Disadvantaged Communities map. If that qualifies, separate priority-population verification is unnecessary. Otherwise, document any claimed priority-population status using the accepted category-specific evidence. Keep this evidence: it is not routinely uploaded with the application, but NYSERDA can request it and cancel an award if it is inadequate. Low-income evidence must cover the household under the programme's benefit-letter, income-document or tax-return options; do not rely on the worker's income alone.
Residency evidence can include a driver's licence, state ID, phone bill, lease or mail sent to the person at a New York address. Mask ID and account numbers. Social Security cards and documents showing full Social Security numbers are not required for residency verification and should not be uploaded for that purpose.
An approved new-hire application leads to an award letter and agreement reserving funding. Implement the approved plan during paid working hours and obtain approval for changes. Keep training-progress records and payroll evidence showing the worker's name, hourly wage or salary, hours and covered dates. Submit evidence at each milestone; the 12-month claim also needs the programme survey and confirmation of submission.
Employment gaps of eight or more consecutive calendar days do not count toward milestones. Permitted personal time off is up to one week within the first four months, up to two weeks within six months, and no more than two weeks over the whole 12-month programme. Leave within these limits is not treated as a gap; substantial interruptions can terminate the award.
Indicate in the 12-month survey if you will seek the certification payment; otherwise NYSERDA can close the contract and release that allocation. Submit the worker-signed certification form and certifier-issued proof showing their name, certification and issue date, with confirmation that the employer paid the fees.
Provide final payment documentation within 90 days of the contracted training end date and before the agreement's stated expiration date. Extensions require written approval; remaining funds can be released after expiry. Notify NYSERDA within two weeks if the worker leaves or is terminated. Employers retaining fewer than 70% of their programme hires may face termination or extra monitoring and payment conditions.
Allow programme and fiscal monitoring, including on-site or remote visits. Keep complete financial and performance records for three years after acceptance of the work; audits can reduce past payments for ineligible costs.
Maintain required insurance, including USD 1 million liability limits and statutory employment cover, with NYSERDA and New York State as additional insureds. Supply certificates before work and renewals at least 15 days before expiry. Policies must provide at least 30 days’ written notice to NYSERDA before cancellation or modification. NYSERDA may terminate on ten days' written notice, paying allowable costs incurred before termination.