Building our future cleantech workforce today

Colorado is leading the charge to train and educate the future cleantech workforce. Partnerships abound between government, universities, economic development, and private industry to train workers in high-demand clean-energy employment sectors.

The Metro Denver WIRED Initiative, funded by a four-year, $15 million U.S. Department of Labor grant, helped the Metro Denver region develop critical partnerships to ensure a pipeline of skilled workers in energy and three other high-growth industries.

The grant funded Front Range Community College's Energy Boost program and clean-energy training programs at Red Rocks Community College (more in Community Colleges). WIRED also hosted an an energy forum providing career counselors in the education and workforce systems with the tools they need to help their clients in pursuing energy careers.

Due in part to the expansive cleantech industry in Colorado, the state has received millions in American Recovery and Investment grants (ARRA) to train even more workers in the growing cleantech market:

  • Colorado’s state agencies, nonprofit organizations, and businesses have come together to ensure that the Colorado’s workforce is prepared for the New Energy Economy. Throughout the state there are eight grants representing over $17 million focused on building a skilled green workforce. The Colorado Green Jobs Workforce Collaborative is composed of representatives from the eight grants and coordinating all of the green job training initiatives in the state. Each of the grants is outlined in more detail here.
  • A $3.6 million ARRA grant will train disadvantaged Denver residents to enter the green-building industry. Mi Casa Resource Center for Women will partner with several local organizations to train participants in efficient building construction and retrofits, renewable electrical power, deconstruction and materials use, and energy-efficiency assessment.
  • The U.S. Department of Energy awarded the University of Colorado at Boulder $2.4 million in ARRA funds to build an engineering graduate program focused on smart-grid technologies. The program will include networking, wireless communications, and cyber security within electrical power systems.