New York Prepares Next Generation of Clean Energy Workers for Building Trades Careers
Climate Jobs NY Education Fund, Pathways to Apprenticeship, Climate Jobs Institute, Cornell ILR Celebrate Graduation of First Clean Energy Pre-Apprenticeship Cohort
Climate Jobs NY Education Fund Announces Ongoing Partnership in Advancing Equitable Pathways in the Clean Energy Transition
Photos from event available here
NEW YORK, NY — March 20, 2026 — New York is strengthening its clean energy workforce pipeline as the Climate Jobs NY Education Fund (CJNY), in partnership with Pathways to Apprenticeship (P2A) and the Climate Jobs Institute, celebrated the graduation of P2A’s first Clean Energy specific Pre-Apprenticeship cohorts at a ceremony on March 19th. The Clean Energy Cohorts underwent a new two-day curriculum which connects climate policy and environmental justice to workforce training and prepares participants to build and maintain New York’s clean energy infrastructure with union careers.
Pathways to Apprenticeship operates a five-week, full-time, direct-entry pre-apprenticeship program that prepares participants for union careers supporting construction, grid modernization, and renewable energy infrastructure. Since its founding in 2013, the program has helped hundreds of New Yorkers primarily from low-income, justice-involved, frontline communities gain admission into union apprenticeship programs, creating pathways to family-sustaining careers with strong wages, benefits, and long-term economic stability. The Climate Jobs NY Education Fund and the Climate Jobs Institute partnered with P2A to deliver a first-of-its-kind Clean Energy curriculum to three of the four graduating cohorts.
The two-day curriculum aims to:
Illustrate the role of multiple construction trades unions in responding to the climate crisis, and explore pathways for ownership in action
Explore individuals’ perceptions and experiences of climate change
Introduce the link between the science behind climate change and the disproportionate effects on frontline, environmental justice, and immigrant communities
Introduce students from frontline communities to opportunities for leadership in the labor and environmental movements
Participants completed full-day instruction along with 4–5 additional hours of technical modules, in addition to their standard 5 week training. The program is recognized by the New York State Department of Labor as a Direct Entry provider, and delivered by Pathways to Apprenticeship, a trusted workforce intermediary preparing New Yorkers for registered apprenticeships. Graduates earned a joint certificate from Cornell University and CJNY.
UPROSE, a Brooklyn-based environmental justice organization, partnered to ensure frontline communities have equitable access to union career opportunities created by the clean energy transition and to bring an environmental justice awareness into the curriculum. The collaboration aligns climate action with workforce development and economic opportunity.
“New York’s clean energy goals depend on a skilled and inclusive union workforce,” said Esther Rosario, Executive Director of Climate Jobs NY Education Fund. “This investment and partnership are creating direct pathways into union careers while preparing workers to meet the state’s growing energy and infrastructure needs.”
“This program reflects what’s possible when workforce development that prioritizes quality union jobs and climate action are aligned,” said Melissa Shetler, Assistant Director of Labor Outreach and Workforce Equity, Climate Jobs Institute, Cornell ILR. “We’re committed to uplifting existing opportunities and expanding pathways into union careers for New Yorkers from frontline communities while preparing a workforce that can meet the demands of the clean energy transition.”
The first year of the program was supported by a grant from JPMorgan Chase.
About Climate Jobs NY Education Fund
Climate Jobs NY Education Fund raises awareness on the ability to capitalize the State’s clean energy transition by creating good quality careers for workers and highlights workforce pathways that connect New Yorkers to high-quality union careers supporting the state’s clean energy transition through partnerships with labor, education, and community organizations.
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