SAFE outreach helped secure grant to open career paths for environmental justice communities
The Massachusetts Clean Energy Center awarded MassHire’s North Shore Workforce Board and the City of Salem a $1.2 million grant as part of a larger $18 million investment in training Massachusetts workers for new jobs in clean energy industries. The $1.2 million will support a pre-apprenticeship training program that provides a pathway to union apprenticeships and, eventually, good-paying union jobs in the offshore wind industry.
The program developed by the MassHire’s North Shore Workforce Board will support 60 trainees — 5 cohorts of 12 students each — over a 3-year grant cycle. Essex Tech will house the first iteration of this offshore wind pre-apprenticeship training but Lynn and Salem high schools may also host cohorts in the near future. The 6-month program, which is intended to enroll unemployed and underemployed residents of Environmental Justice communities, will have evening and weekend hours with wraparound support services.
The six-month training program will entroll unemployed and underemployed residents of Environmental Justice communities.
Over the last year, SAFE partnered with the MassHire’s North Shore Workforce Board on community outreach, which was critical in securing this grant. Offshore Wind Program Manager Bonnie Bain contacted a list of 50 different community benefit organizations (CBOs) and Chambers of Commerce. The list, which was compiled in partnership with MassHire and the Essex County Community Foundation, was based on CBO reach and influence in Environmental Justice communities, where the CBOs support clients who may be interested in offshore wind careers. Concurrently, a hired analyst team conducted interviews and research with unions and educational institutions in the area and produced an Offshore Wind Economic Diversification Study.
SAFE’s outreach to stakeholders at regional organizations served three purposes:
- Preparing and educating community leaders on the coming offshore wind marshaling yard at Salem’s port;
- Interviewing the organization to determine how best to ensure a successful pre-apprenticeship program that would meet the needs of their clients; and
- Securing a partnership through a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) commiting the CBO to spread the word to its clients.
In all, SAFE secured 35 partner organizations; this number should grow as the grant shifts to become an official program this coming winter.
Through this process and our continued involvement, SAFE has learned how critical regional collaboration is to secure investment in workforce and supply chain opportunities in this new industry specific to our region and its Environmental Justice residents. While not currently a paid partner, SAFE remains at the table as a member of the hiring committee for the program manager who will run MassHire’s offshore wind pre-apprenticeship.