High School Workforce Development Program Graduates More Than 50 Students
With their sights set on a career in the energy efficiency and green building trade industries, more than 50 Connecticut high school students recently graduated from the Green STEP Summer Program. The three-week paid-to-train development program, which helps set the clean energy workforce of the future up for success, is offered by Energize Connecticut Sponsors Eversource and Avangrid Inc. subsidiaries United Illuminating, Southern Connecticut Gas and Connecticut Natural Gas.
During the awards ceremony, held July 10 at Gateway Community College, students were presented with their program completion certificates and had an opportunity to participate in a career expo as well as meet with area businesses on available internship and career opportunities.
“Helping clean energy jobs flourish in Connecticut is essential to our state's future and underscores the growing significance of this industry,” said Eversource Vice President of Energy Efficiency and Electric Mobility Tilak Subrahmanian. “Over the past three years, investments in this sector have supported nearly 46,000 jobs statewide. This industry is growing rapidly, and we need more trained, skilled professionals entering the workforce to support its future – which will spur increased economic development for communities across the state. We want to thank all of the Green STEP instructors and students for their commitment and contributions to our local economy, which will help make our communities more sustainable for years to come.”
“Since expanding the Green STEP program in 2023, the program is now in 39 traditional and technical high schools and has awarded more than 12,600 students with trade certifications,” said Avangrid Residential Manager of Conservation and Load Management Amy McLean. “Congratulations to these recent graduates, who are now positioned to make a significant impact on our community and environment, and can help homeowners reduce energy consumption, lower utility bills, and create healthier living spaces.”
Taught by certified industry experts, participating students had the option of selecting three educational tracks – Weatherization and Existing Building Upgrades; Decarbonization & Efficient Building Systems; and Green Building & New Construction. In addition to the program certificates, 51 students earned the Knauf Insulation certification, and 31 students received technical certifications needed for the green building and energy efficiency industries. Eleven students were also awarded Certificates of Excellence in their Education Track, including:
Track A: Weatherization & Existing Building Upgrade Track
- Amaya Ortiz-Eller, Hamden
- Jaylin Rosario, Bridgeport
- Kaisean Hilton, East Hartford
Track B: Decarbonization & Efficient Building Systems
- Samuel Le, Milford
- Jeronimo Restrepo, Bridgeport
- Clara Ortenzi, Orange
- Christopher Ramos, West Haven
- Roselyn Torres, Derby
Track C: Green Building & New Construction
- Karen Jimenez, Meriden
- Alan Dicks, Bridgeport
- Kyyell Francis, East Haven
Work-ready training courses, such as heat pumps and geothermal, resume and interview prep, and decarbonization, were also available to all students.
Green STEP has provided industry training to the Connecticut Technical Education and Career System (CTECS) for over 10 years. The program expanded its curriculum in 2023 to include all high school students across Connecticut by offering Virtual After-School Certificate Training as well as the summer program, which is designed to educate and prepare students for careers in the green building and energy efficiency trade industries.
For more information about Green STEP, including how students can register for upcoming workshops and trainings, please visit EnergizeCT.com.
About Energize Connecticut
Energize Connecticut is an initiative dedicated to empowering Connecticut to make smart energy choices, now and in the future. We provide Connecticut consumers, businesses, and communities the resources and information they need to make it easy to save energy and build a clean energy future for everyone in the state. It is an initiative of the Connecticut Energy Efficiency Fund, the Connecticut Green Bank, the State, and your local electric and gas utilities. The initiative has funding support from a charge on customer energy bills.
