Clean Energy Career Pathways Training
Funding of $250,000 to $1.5 million for New York training providers to prepare new workers for entry-level clean energy careers and help graduates find full-time jobs.
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Build or expand a training programme combining technical skills, career preparation, practical support such as childcare or transport, and job placement. Eligible fields include energy efficiency, building electrification, renewable energy, storage, smart grids and electric-vehicle charging. Energy efficiency and building electrification are the primary focus, with approximately 80% of programme funding reserved for these areas. Most NYSERDA funding must pay for technical training.
NYSERDA normally funds up to 75% of the total project budget. The applicant and partners must contribute at least 25%, in cash or in kind, incurred during the NYSERDA agreement. The contribution falls to 10% for projects exclusively serving Disadvantaged Communities or Priority Populations, or where participating New York State-certified minority- or women-owned businesses or service-disabled veteran-owned businesses perform at least 65% of NYSERDA-funded labour hours.
Funding can cover training delivery, justified curriculum development, hands-on equipment, tests and certification, internships and placement services. Marketing and outreach cannot exceed 5% of NYSERDA funding. NYSERDA-funded support services and fixed-fee stipends are limited to eligible Disadvantaged Community or Priority Population trainees after other available support is exhausted. Paid internships may instead use hourly wages.
Eligibility
The lead applicant must be registered to do business in New York, have a formal business location there, be legally able to hire employees, and demonstrate integrity and the ability to carry out the agreement by answering NYSERDA’s Solicitation Proposal and Vendor Responsibility Questions. The team must have relevant training and job-placement experience and a suitable New York training location. All funded training must take place in New York and serve only New York residents.
- At least 50% of trainees must meet NYSERDA’s Disadvantaged Communities or Priority Populations definitions. Disadvantaged Community eligibility uses geographic or income criteria. Priority Populations include veterans, people with disabilities, qualifying low-income households, fossil-fuel workers, justice-involved people, people experiencing homelessness, single parents and 16- to 24-year-olds enrolled in or having completed qualifying work-preparation programmes that combine rigorous clean energy education with hands-on technical training, assessed case by case. Check the linked definitions and verification guidance.
- Include sufficient technical training, career preparation, soft skills and support for employment barriers. Transferable skills such as welding are eligible where the proposal shows a connection to clean energy jobs.
- Secure employer commitments to interview graduates. Plan to place at least 70% of graduates in full-time jobs, including registered apprenticeships, within six months of finishing training. Complete the project within 30 months, including at least six months of graduate outcome monitoring, and plan to sustain training after funding ends.
- Some costs can count only toward your contribution: training electronics, manufacturer-supplied equipment, mobile labs, general overhead, food during training, justified online-learning upgrades, costs paid by other public programmes, qualifying travel to bring experts from outside New York, and support for trainees outside the priority groups.
- Food outside training hours, vehicles or trailers, and proprietary manufacturer or vendor training cannot receive funding or count toward cost share. NYSERDA assesses proposed costs case by case.
How to apply
- Statut
- clôture 23 sept. 2026
- Clôture
- Conditions de cette période de candidature
- Round 3; competitive selection. Later rounds subject to available funding.
Apply online through PON 6121 by 3 p.m. Eastern Time on September 23, 2026 for Round 3. Allow at least an hour to submit; late, faxed or emailed applications are not accepted. Further rounds are scheduled through November 2027, subject to funding; consult the live portal before preparing a later-round submission.
Submit Attachment A as a fillable PDF, Attachment B as an Excel budget, tailored employer commitment letters and key personnel resumes. Include project-partner support letters where applicable, and a separate budget for each subcontractor with a share of $50,000 or more. Describe recruitment, training content and schedule, target occupations and wages, placement goals and long-term continuation. Disclose AI use in submitted materials and planned work; proposed AI use for the funded work requires NYSERDA’s express approval.
Successful applicants negotiate a contract. Report progress and trainee outcomes quarterly. NYSERDA may retain up to 10% of project costs until completion and prorate remaining payments against completion of requirements, including placement goals.