NASEO - National Association of State Energy Officials
08/28/2024 | News release | Distributed by Public on 08/28/2024 11:46
Maine Governor’s Energy Office Awards $2 Million to Clean Energy Workforce Training Programs
On July 30, 2024, the Maine Governor's Energy Office (GEO) announced $2 million in grants to expand and create six clean energy workforce training programs in Biddeford, Portland, Freeport, Augusta, Orono, and Oxford Hills. GEO will administer the funds through the Clean Energy Partnership (CEP), which is supported by the governor's Maine Jobs & Recovery Plan. These grants were made possible by federal funding secured through the efforts of U.S. Senator Angus King and Representative Chellie Pingree via the U.S. Department of Labor Employment and Training Administration.
The grants will support job placement services, clean energy job training, stipends, equipment, curriculum, and other services offered by the Biddeford School Department and Biddeford Adult Education, Maine Math & Science Alliance, Oxford Hills and Nezinscot Adult Education, PassivhausMAINE, Portland Adult Education, and the University of Maine. Dan Burgess, Director of the Maine Governor's Energy Office and NASEO Board Member, commented on the importance of the programs: "These programs will train new workers and help local employers fill jobs in Maine's rapidly expanding clean energy economy that is accelerating clean energy deployment and helping to stabilize energy costs for households and businesses."
Maine has made great strides in recent years to expand its clean energy workforce development, with injections of $2.9 million in December 2022 to nine clean energy workforce development programs, as well as $1.3 million in December 2023 to three entities to support clean energy innovation through new business accelerator and incubator programs. To learn more about GEO's past clean energy workforce initiatives, please see the following NASEO newsroom articles: