Webinar: Clean Energy Workforce Development: From Theory to Practice

The National Clean Energy Workforce Alliance is the sole forum uniting stakeholders across the United States’ clean energy economy to improve recruitment, education, and placement outcomes, and ensure that the clean energy transition is inclusive of diverse and underserved communities.

Since January 2022, the Alliance has convened more than 500 employers, education and training providers, organized labor, community-based and energy justice organizations, workforce program designers and funders, and policymakers. With the goal of defining actionable solutions to shared workforce challenges, the Alliance has collectively identified and shared challenges, best practices, resources, and key information through structured, results-oriented meetings.

Providing prescriptive solutions creating real-world opportunities, this session hosts a panel of industry and educational experts who will provide examples of moving from theory to practice. Dr. Harkins from Southside Virginia Community College and David Peterson from Solar Hands-on Instructional Network of Excellence (SHINE) will present and discuss the evolution of a public private partnership in the solar sector. Ridge Schuyler, JD, will present his award-winning platform connecting job seekers to the skills and resources they need to become valued employers and helps employers find the quality employees they need to thrive in a competitive market. Dr. Darlene Miller, NCWE,​ will discuss ways to strengthen the role of community colleges in responding to the workforce needs supporting the emerging green economy.

This webinar featured the following panelists:

• Darlene G. Miller Ed.D. – Executive Director, National Council for Workforce Education (NCWE)
• Ridge Schuyler – Dean of Community Self-Sufficiency Programs, Piedmont Virginia Community College
• Keith Harkins – Vice President of Academic & Workforce Programs, Southside Virginia Community College
• David Peterson – Executive Director, SHINE

The Alliance is led by the Interstate Renewable Energy Council (IREC) and the National Council for Workforce Education (NCWE), with support from Bank of America Charitable Foundation.