AUGUSTA – The Governor’s Energy Office, through the Clean Energy Partnership, is granting $299,690 to Biddeford Schools and Adult Education.

The grant will develop curricula, fund internships and apprenticeships, provide job training, and prepare 70 individuals for careers in the clean energy and energy efficiency sectors, according to Sen. Henry Ingwersen, D-Arundel. The program will recruit students from Biddeford, Old Orchard Beach, Saco, and Sanford.

“As a grandfather who is concerned about the increasingly severe effects of climate change, as well as the forecast for workforce shortages, I am delighted that Biddeford Schools and Adult Education will receive this funding to create jobs in the clean energy sector,” Ingwersen said. “An investment like this one is a win all around. It prepares young Mainers to enter the workforce without needing to shell out tens of thousands of dollars for expensive college diplomas. It moves the entire state closer to achieving its climate action goals, which becomes more and more urgent each day. It also lays the foundation for a more sustainable, job-secure future for everyone.”

The number of clean energy jobs in Maine has surpassed 15,000, increasing faster in Maine than any other New England state, and the clean energy sector grew to contribute $2.31 billion to Maine’s economy in 2022, according to an independent report released earlier this year by GEO.

Through the Clean Energy Partnership, GEO supports workforce training programs to provide Mainers with the skills and resources to build careers in the clean energy field, Ingwersen said. In 2022, GEO awarded $2.9 million in grants to nine entities for clean energy workforce development programs to attract new workers, provide career training and upskilling, increase diversity and representation, and facilitate entry into the clean energy job market. In December 2023, the office awarded another $1.3 million in grants to three entities to support clean energy innovation through new business accelerator and incubator programs to be launched in Portland, Brunswick, and Waterville.

Earlier this year, GEO launched the Maine Clean Energy Jobs Network, a new online clearinghouse that connects jobs-seekers with Maine-based clean energy employers and workforce training programs.

The Maine Jobs & Recovery Plan supported GEO launching the Clean Energy Partnership. It was introduced by Gov. Janet Mills and approved by the Legislature. The plan invests nearly $1 billion in Federal American Rescue Plan funds to improve the lives of Maine people and families, help businesses, create good-paying jobs, and build an economy poised for future prosperity. Since the jobs plan took effect in 2021, over $743 million in the jobs plan funding has been spent or committed to deliver results on behalf of Mainers.

For more about the plan, visit maine.gov/jobsplan.