State officials are trying to make it easier for people to find jobs in Maine’s clean energy sector.
The Governor’s Energy Office on Wednesday launched the Maine Clean Energy Jobs Network, a recruiting tool to connect skilled jobseekers with clean energy employers and training programs.
The jobs network is coordinated with the Department of Labor and the Department of Economic and Community Development. Jobseekers and Maine-based employers that are hiring are invited to post jobs, explore open positions and learn about clean energy training programs. The network is free to join and will be promoted through a marketing campaign.
Dan Burgess, director of the Governor’s Energy Office, said the tool will strengthen Maine’s clean energy economy by “making good jobs in the sector easy to find and helping Maine-based businesses recruit qualified applicants to meet the growing demand for clean energy workers.”
Richard Burbank, president of Evergreen Home Performance, said the jobs network also will help immigrant workers access resources in their native languages.
The state announced the jobs initiative two weeks after releasing a study touting Maine’s “clean energy economy,” saying it accounted for 15,000 jobs at the end of 2022, or about 2.3% of the state’s workforce of 656,400.
The most recently posted openings on Wednesday reflected a range of jobs such as solar designer, solar installer, carpenter, software developer and digger derrick operator. A digger derrick is a truck with a crane used to dig holes and set utility poles in the ground.
ReVision Energy, which installs solar equipment, heat pumps and battery backups, posted numerous positions, including jobs as disparate as a vice president and a facilities and warehouse worker. Fortunat Mueller, president and co-founder, said the company helped the state test the new site, serving as “guinea pigs.”
The South Portland-based company spends a significant portion of its advertising budget looking for qualified job applicants, he said, adding that in an aging state such as Maine, “more electricians are retiring than being hired.”
ReVision uses social media and works with pre-apprenticeship programs with other organizations to draw workers. It also employs a “climate educator” who visits as many as 30 schools a year to promote the trades, such as electricians and other jobs, Mueller said.
The climate educator urges students to start a sustainability or “eco club,” visit renewable energy companies, join environmental organizations or monitor energy use at home.
In 2022, the state energy office awarded $2.9 million to nine entities for clean energy workforce development programs to attract new workers, provide career training and new skills, increase diversity and representation, and facilitate entry into the clean energy job market. In December 2023, the office awarded $1.3 million in grants to three entities to support clean energy innovation through new business accelerator and incubator programs to be launched in Brunswick, Portland and Waterville.
The Governor’s Energy Office is seeking applications for clean energy and energy efficiency workforce development and training programs. The money is intended to support initiatives such as clean energy job training, job placement services, stipends, equipment, curriculum and other related services for Maine residents 16 years and older.
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