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Regional Workforce Development
The regional collaboration between Riverside and San Bernardino counties reinforces I-REN’s commitment to connecting community members to essential resources and training opportunities. This partnership helps build a skilled energy workforce, expands equitable job access, and strengthens career pathways throughout the region.
Energy Workforce Assessment
Completed in 2024, the Energy Workforce Gaps Assessment identified regional energy workforce and training challenges to uncover opportunities in the energy sector. The report analyzed workforce gaps within the energy sector in Riverside and San Bernardino counties, pinpointed training needs, and addressed job accessibility barriers to help strengthen the local workforce and meet the region’s growing energy demands.
Components of the Energy Workforce Assessment included:
- Regional Energy Industry Analysis: Current industry and forecasted changes based on primary and secondary data on the region’s energy industry
- Energy Employer Survey: Virtual and in-person surveys and engagements to collect employer and stakeholder feedback on employment needs and challenges
- Regional Training Assessment: Analysis of training accessibility, workforce gaps, and current and future employment opportunities
The assessment outlined four key recommendations to strengthen future Workforce Education and Training (WE&T) programs and initiatives in Riverside and San Bernardino counties. These recommendations are:
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Energy Fellowships
- I-REN helps place emerging energy professionals with public agencies where they will support a large range of energy efficiency projects and gain exceptional career experience, and training to become future leaders in response to emerging environmental and social equity challenges. Learn more about the Energy Fellowship today.
Counties Workforce Development Divisions
- To help advance these recommendations, I-REN is partnering with the Workforce Development Divisions of Riverside and San Bernardino County to increase training enrollment, introduce students to clean energy careers early, expand apprenticeship on-the-job learning opportunities, and strengthen partnerships with local employers.
- These efforts aim to create clear career pathways, support upskilling for existing workers, and ensure equitable access to good-paying careers in the region’s growing energy sector.
Workforce Roundtables
- To ensure ongoing input from key stakeholders, I-REN hosts quarterly workforce roundtables that foster collaboration and strengthen partnerships that address regional energy workforce needs.
- Guided by the four key recommendations from the Energy Workforce Assessment, these roundtables help refine proposed actions and ensure that resources and opportunities effectively reach community members and businesses, building a resilient, skilled, and equitable regional workforce.