Multifamily Affordable Housing Decarbonization Toolkit

Attracting and Building a Workforce

Workforce Training

Limited workforce capacity can often impact the affordability, accessibility, and scalability of decarbonization solutions. As building codes, emission policies, and decarbonization funding programs continue to incentivize clean energy technologies, strengthening workforce capacity remains a key element of scaling decarbonization solutions across the industry. Expertise in clean energy solution recommendations, estimates, sales, installations, and maintenance is crucial to fostering trust and reliability in these evolving technologies — an essential factor in accelerating market adoption. However, advancing workforce skills alone is not enough to address the significant challenges evidenced by a worsening labor shortage, outsourcing jobs outside of local communities, and lack of diversity in the trades. A holistic approach to workforce development can be supported by the following strategies:

Attracting and Building a Workforce

The construction industry’s current labor shortage demonstrates the industry’s need to diversify, as most of its aging, shrinking workforce is white and male. Crucial segments of the US working-age population — women, BIPOC communities, and LGBTQ+ individuals, are underrepresented in the construction industry, and bringing them into the fold will require enhancing targeted recruitment and training, as well as augmenting support services. Additionally, low wages and inconsistent work/insufficient projects have plagued residential construction for decades. Though construction wages nationally have gradually increased by 40 percent between 2014 and 2024 (outpacing a 32% inflation rate), variations in regional compensation and worker benefits persist, contributing to labor shortages. This highlights the importance of fostering localized and mission-driven workforces, tailoring recruitment, pay structures, and training programs to meet the specific needs and dynamics of regional labor markets. This could be achieved by exploring the following solutions:

  • Adopt High-Road Clean Energy Job Partnerships: Competitive compensation is critical to attract a larger workforce to support decarbonization projects. Embracing high-road labor policies and practices can ensure that workers receive fair and livable compensation, health and retirement benefits, and access to personal growth and upward mobility in their profession. The High Road Training Partnerships initiative created by the California Workforce Development Board models how industry training partnerships can build skills and improve job quality. The initiative supports industry-led problem-solving, strengthens partnerships between CBOs and owners, ensures worker advocacy, and promotes effective workforce training solutions. Its goal is to expand access to high-road jobs for underserved populations and create pathways for career growth within those roles.
  • Diversify the Workforce: Given changing US demographics and growing buildings sector needs, drawing from a broader pool of potential talent will be essential not only for meeting retrofit demands but also for introducing new perspectives and innovations to the construction industry. Enacting more inclusive outreach and hiring practices as well as accessible training and mentorship opportunities can help boost the recruitment and retention of women, individuals from BIPOC and LGBTQ+ communities, and people with disabilities. Effectively recruiting and retaining a diverse workforce will require ongoing collaboration among community organizations experienced in implementing workforce and contractor trainings, local labor affiliates, and career technical education (CTE) entities — including community colleges and adult education programs.
  • Showcase Mission-Driven Aspects of Construction Work: Positioning construction careers as purpose-driven is an important aspect of attracting younger generations to the workforce. In doing so, integrating local workers into decarbonization projects can have a powerful impact. It not only strengthens community ties but also provides a sense of agency, ownership, and pride over the work being done in one’s community. This sense of purpose is also critical in attracting younger generations to construction careers. Studies show that Gen Z, for example, places significant value on solving societal problems and addressing climate change. Showcasing how local reinvestment in decarbonization projects can help reduce carbon footprints and promote eco-friendly building solutions can align the mission-driven aspects of construction with the values of emerging, environmentally conscious workers.
  • Promote Technology and Innovation: As the construction industry evolves to incorporate advanced technologies, such as more integrated software systems, drones, computer modeling, prefabrication, and on-site automation such as 3D printers and lasers, there is a growing demand for a technologically proficient workforce. There are various ways to frame the construction-related jobs of the future — and not only mission-driven roles — to appeal to a broader range of interests and potential workers. Construction could adopt a creative and dynamic strategy to retain a workforce, for example, by emphasizing innovation and a strong technology focus to attract workers, as well as the increased safety, better work–life balance, and less strenuous nature of the work that can come with some emergent advanced construction approaches.

Workforce Training

Hiring, training, and retaining a workforce that is equipped with the knowledge and skillsets needed to decarbonize buildings, such as the installation and maintenance of heat pumps, panelized envelopes, and on-site renewable energy, is critical to this transition. To effectively cultivate a skilled workforce, several opportunities could be explored, including:

  • Target Workforce Development Programs in Schools: Raising awareness early on about clean energy careers is critical to developing a sustained and skilled workforce. Investing in career-oriented technical education programs in schools that prioritize skills related to energy efficiency and decarbonization is a critical first step. Existing apprenticeship and training programs, such as those offered by Soulful Synergy, can also equip young workers and students with the necessary expertise, training, and certifications (e.g., LEED or PHIUS) which are beneficial to implementing green building upgrades. To further support early-career individuals persuing the trades, the following financial assistance solutions could be explored:
    • Provide Stipend Support for Decarbonization Trainees: Recognizing that some trainees might not follow conventional education paths, offering stipends could be valuable in incentivizing the development of a strong workforce across trades to support the adoption of decarbonization initiatives. In addition to acting as an incentive, a stipend approach could also aid in offsetting costs associated with paid training that might be required to develop technical skills in the field.
    • Educational and Small Business Loan Forgiveness: Subsidized low-interest loans could help develop delivery capacity. This could include loans for individual career technical training or for the creation or expansion of small businesses advancing work within building decarbonization. Providing loan offerings of this nature could support job security through ongoing skill training or help reduce debt taken on by individuals pursuing a career in the trades.
  • Develop Comprehensive, Forward-Looking Contractor and Workforce Trainings: Capacity building through ongoing technical trainings for contractors, subcontractors, and local workforce members is crucial to maintaining a thorough understanding and expertise of construction innovations, new equipment and materials, operations, and regulatory and safety compliance standards needed to successfully execute projects. The Training Residential Energy Contractors (TREC) program, funded through the IRA, provides $200 million in state funding to reduce the costs of training, testing, and certifying key trades in residential decarbonization — like HVAC (heat pump) technicians — and will be implemented in partnerships between agencies, labor unions, and community organizations. Similarly, localized workforce development programs such as the Solar One Green Workforce Program in NYC, take a community-focused approach to building skills and driving local job creation. These programs not only help prepare trainees for careers in the clean energy field, but they also boost local economies, enhance environmental justice efforts, and support reinvestment within communities.
  • Increase Access to Union Apprenticeship Programs: In overburdened communities where the goal is to cultivate thriving decarbonization jobs, union jobs need to be made more accessible. Strengthening access to union apprenticeship programs ensures that workers, particularly in underserved communities, can gain valuable training and long-term job security provided by union membership.
  • Develop Knowledge-Sharing Practices: Knowledge-sharing platforms, training resources, and convening activities can help cultivate a dynamic learning environment for the workforce on building decarbonization solutions. This includes ensuring that industry professionals, especially contractors involved in retrofitting projects, are kept up to date on relevant incentives, evolving regulations, and compliance requirements.

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