New York is investing another $50 million into clean energy workforce development, aiming to expand job training and build out a labor pipeline for the state’s growing renewable energy sector.
Gov. Kathy Hochul announced the funding Thursday as part of a broader $320 million statewide commitment focused on training workers for careers in energy efficiency, electrification, and renewable energy industries.
The funding will support two major initiatives administered by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority: a $30 million Clean Energy Career Pathways Training program and a $20 million Technical Skills Training and Upskilling program. Together, they are designed to prepare new workers for entry-level roles while also advancing the skills of those already in the field.
State officials say the programs are targeted in part at underserved and disadvantaged communities, with requirements that at least half of trainees in certain projects come from those populations. Individual awards will range from $75,000 to $1.5 million, depending on the program and scope.
The announcement comes as New York continues to scale its clean energy economy, which employed roughly 184,000 workers at the end of 2024. The sector has added about 6,000 jobs recently and attracted an average of $6 billion annually in public and private investment over the past three years.
Officials also pointed to major infrastructure projects — including offshore wind developments and transmission investments — as drivers of future job demand. State leaders say workforce training is critical to sustaining that growth while maintaining reliability and affordability in the energy system.
Applications for the career pathways program are open through November 2027, with the first round due in May. The technical training program will accept applications on a rolling basis through September 2030, depending on available funding.
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