NEW YORK, NY — The Energy Efficiency Employer Coalition is entering its second year with plans to nearly double participation, growing from 11 companies toward a goal of 20 employers as New York City’s green economy creates new demand for skilled workers. Led by the New York City Employment and Training Coalition (NYCETC) and The Green Launchpad, the coalition is expanding its work to align hiring needs, training, and career pathways across the city’s energy efficiency sector.
“New York cannot meet its climate goals if employers cannot find the people they need to do the work,” said Gregory J. Morris, CEO of the New York City Employment and Training Coalition. “The problem is not a lack of ambition. It is whether our workforce system is actually organized around the jobs we need to fill. This coalition puts employers at the table from the beginning, defining the skills, training, and career pathways their industry requires. That means training is tied to real jobs, employers have a stronger pipeline of talent, and workers can see a path forward. Year one showed the model works. Now we need to grow it.”
“Year one showed us how much employers can accomplish when they have a structured place to identify shared workforce challenges and work through them together,” said Angela N. Son, Founder and CEO of The Green Launchpad. “The toolkit was one result of that collaboration. In year two, we are building on what employers told us, bringing more companies into the conversation, and creating a more consistent framework for how the energy efficiency sector collaborates to identify and develop the talent it needs.”
“When employers are clear about the skills they need, workforce partners can prepare people more effectively for the jobs that are available,” said Antuan Cannon, Vice President of Talent Development & Innovation at Willdan. “For employers like Willdan, that means being directly involved in defining the skills, training, and experience that make someone ready to succeed on the job. This coalition creates a forum to have those conversations across the industry and turn them into practical tools employers can actually use.”
“Con Edison knows that a skilled workforce is essential to meeting New York’s clean energy goals as the green economy continues to grow,” said Jen Hensley, senior vice president, Con Edison Corporate Affairs. “This coalition helps connect workers to in-demand employment and directly shapes the types of energy‑efficiency and retrofit jobs in our local construction sector. Expanding our collaboration in year two will help strengthen the talent pipeline and recruiting capacity of small and mid-sized contractors and minority- and women-owned firms.”
“New York’s buildings are being asked to do more, from cutting energy use to meeting new performance requirements, and that creates a real need for people who understand how these systems work in practice,” said Dylan Oakley, Vice President at Greenwich Energy Solutions. “For companies working directly with building owners and managers, having a workforce with the right technical knowledge is critical. The Coalition helps make sure those real-world needs are reflected in how workers are trained and prepared for careers in the energy efficiency sector.”
“Building New York City’s clean energy workforce means making sure the people who have historically been left out of the energy sector can see a real pathway into it,” said Daphany Rose Sanchez, Executive Director of Kinetic Communities Consulting (KC3). “Employers have to be part of designing that pathway, from defining the skills they need to creating opportunities for people to get hired, gain experience, and advance. This coalition helps connect climate investment to real careers while building the workforce we need to deliver energy efficiency at scale.”
“Energy efficiency projects only move from plans to reality when building owners have access to the right expertise and the right workforce,” said Robert Sedaghatpour, Founder and President of STRATCO Property Solutions. “Our work sits at the intersection of building performance, incentives, compliance, and implementation, and all of those areas depend on skilled people who understand how to get projects done. The Coalition helps strengthen that connection between what the market needs and how the workforce is being prepared to meet it.”
In its first year, the Coalition turned more than 22 hours of employer input into a practical workforce toolkit built around three in-demand entry-level roles: Junior Energy Auditor, Project Coordinator, and Junior Field Technician in HVAC and weatherization. The toolkit gives employers and workforce partners a common set of job descriptions, screening and interview tools, evaluation checklists, career pathway examples, hiring incentive information, and workforce resources. With that foundation in place, year two is focused on expanding the model and moving more directly from employer demand to hiring and advancement.
Year two is focused on taking the Coalition’s employer-led model further. As EEEC grows from 11 participating companies toward a goal of 20 employers, it will expand the number of occupations it covers and deepen the connection between employer demand, training, and hiring.
Priorities for the second year include:
- Defining additional job titles, job descriptions, and career tracks for in-demand positions;
- Developing career pathways that identify the education, experience, and credentials needed for advancement;
- Helping employers map on-the-job training plans for entry-level positions;
- Connecting employers directly with training providers and qualified candidate pools; and
- Improving access to workforce development resources, hiring incentives, and funding.
The Coalition’s expansion also demonstrates the broader workforce model NYCETC has been advocating across the green economy: start with the jobs employers need to fill, then align training, workforce investment, and career pathways around that demand. In testimony before the City Council earlier this year, NYCETC pointed to The Green Launchpad as a practical framework that could strengthen employer engagement and inform industry partnerships across other green economy sectors.
That same approach is central to NYCETC’s An Affordable Climate Economy report, which argues that New York City will only realize the economic potential of its climate investments if employers, workforce providers, educators, and government are working from the same set of workforce needs. As EEEC grows, it offers a concrete example of what that alignment can look like, and how workforce development can help turn climate goals into jobs, career growth, and a stronger local economy.
About the Energy Efficiency Employer Coalition
The Energy Efficiency Employer Coalition is an employer-led initiative convened by the New York City Employment and Training Coalition and The Green Launchpad to strengthen New York City’s energy efficiency workforce. The Coalition brings employers and workforce partners together to identify hiring needs, define occupations and competencies, develop career pathways, improve hiring and onboarding practices, and better connect workforce investments with real industry demand.
About the New York City Employment and Training Coalition
The New York City Employment and Training Coalition is the largest city-based workforce development association in the country, supporting more than 220 member organizations that serve over 200,000 New Yorkers annually. NYCETC advances policies, partnerships, and investments that expand economic opportunity and strengthen New York City’s economy. Working at the intersection of workforce development, education, business, labor, and economic development, NYCETC and its members connect New Yorkers, especially those from historically marginalized communities, to quality jobs, career pathways, and the supports needed to succeed.
Media Contact: Patrick McCabe, Patrick@hayesinitiative.com, (631) 747-7906