The transition to a clean energy economy has emerged as a major driver of employment growth in the United States.
In 2023, clean energy employment expanded at more than twice the rate of the overall U.S. labor market, with the sector employing more than 3.4 million workers nationwide, according to the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). While this growth has accelerated demand for skilled labor across multiple segments of the energy economy, meeting that demand requires more than technological innovation or regulatory mandates. It requires coordinated workforce and economic development strategies that expand opportunities while addressing persistent inequities in access to capital, training and industry networks. Combining workforce training with contractor support offers a more effective and equitable model for clean energy workforce development than traditional approaches that address these functions separately.
Recognizing the growing labor shortage in the clean energy sector, Illinois enacted the Climate and Equitable Jobs Act (CEJA) to establish a statewide framework to expand the clean energy workforce and broaden economic participation. Under this framework, the College of DuPage (COD) was selected to lead two regional initiatives to strengthen the energy workforce and business capacity in the clean energy economy.
The Clean Jobs Workforce Network Training initiative prepares a diverse pipeline of workers for clean energy careers through free training, employment readiness services and wraparound support. The Clean Energy Contractor Incubator builds upon COD’s Innovation DuPage platform to support the launch and growth of small energy firms that contribute to Illinois’ clean energy economy.
This article is featured in the latest issue of AACC’s Community College Journal.
Participation in the CEJA represents an important milestone for COD, positioning the college as a regional convener rather than solely a training provider. This approach also reflects a broader understanding that economic development advances when community colleges collaborate with municipalities, workforce agencies, peer institutions, community organizations and industry partners.
By integrating technician training with contractor incubation, the college extends its role beyond traditional workforce preparation to support entrepreneurship, regional coordination and inclusive economic growth. Together, these initiatives function as a regional hub for clean energy technician training and contractor development across Kendall, Kane, DuPage, and parts of Cook County in the Chicago–Naperville–Elgin Metropolitan Statistical Area. Collaborating with six collar county community colleges further aligns regional labor markets with growing demand for the sustainable energy sector.
Boosting the regional ecosystem
The Workforce Network Training Hub and the Clean Energy Contractor Incubator were launched as part of the COD’s longstanding institutional commitment to regional partnership and entrepreneurship.
For more than four decades, the college has supported small business development through its Small Business Development Center, International Trade Center and Apex Accelerator. The establishment of Innovation DuPage expanded these efforts through incubation, advising and industry engagement. Complementary initiatives introduce youth to clean energy career pathways through the Youth Academy and connect underemployed adults to workforce opportunities through adult education programs.
Building on this foundation, the Workforce Network Hub and Contractor Incubator integrate business incubation, technical assistance, workforce alignment and entrepreneurial support within a coordinated regional system. Partnerships with peer community colleges, workforce boards, municipalities, chambers of commerce and community-based organizations broaden recruitment capacity and strengthen alignment between the training pipeline and employer demand. This networked structure enables the college to extend resources beyond its district and to support workforce and contractor development across the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin Metropolitan Statistical Area.
The CEJA initiatives also address inequities through intentional program design and targeted participation strategies. Program priorities focus on environmental justice communities and residents of historically disinvested areas who face compounding barriers, including language access challenges and prior involvement with the justice system.
These initiatives operate within the broader statewide framework established by the Climate and Equitable Jobs Act, which links workforce training, pre-apprenticeship pathways, energy transition navigators and contractor incubators across Illinois. Shared curricula, coordinated referrals and aligned apprenticeship pathways allow participating institutions to function as interconnected nodes within a statewide system.
Impact assessment
Early outcomes demonstrate the scope and potential impact of the regional model. During the pilot phase, the Contractor Incubator supported 39 energy contractors whose firms collectively reported more than $27.8 million in annual revenue and supported nearly 300 workers across full-time, part-time, and independent roles. These firms secured more than $4.8 million in grants and loans, strengthening their readiness for capital investment and expanding their ability to compete in the clean energy market. Participating companies represented a range of sectors, including solar installation, electric vehicle technology, sustainable construction, energy efficiency and decarbonization consulting.
The Workforce Network Hub trained 79 students through energy bridge programs. Fifteen students completed solar training, seven completed energy audit training, and two earned HVAC certification. Students completing the energy audit certificate applied their training by conducting audits of college facilities as part of a learning laboratory. These assessments identified potential annual energy savings exceeding $300,000. The college plans to expand this model to additional campus buildings using student interns and has extended the approach to other community colleges and public facilities, creating opportunities for additional cost savings.
Participants across both initiatives benefited from individualized advising, cohort learning and engagement with industry experts. The curriculum emphasized financial readiness, wage compliance, project management, workforce utilization and access to capital. Early outcomes indicate increased contractor engagement in solar installations, energy-efficiency retrofits, electric-vehicle infrastructure and sustainable construction services.
Program projections indicate continued growth. Enrollment in the Workforce Network Hub is expected to increase substantially, while Contractor Incubator participation is projected to expand to as many as 200 firms by fiscal year 2029, with more than 100 cohort graduates. These targets reflect a deliberate effort to develop a scalable contractor ecosystem that can strengthen regional labor markets over time.
Despite these early successes, challenges remain, including the need for sustained funding, coordination across multiple institutions, and continued support for participants navigating complex regulatory and market environments.
Implications and the path forward
Outcomes from the CEJA initiatives illuminate how community colleges can navigate the intersection of workforce development and economic transformation. As states expand investments in renewable energy infrastructure, institutions face the dual challenge of expanding labor supply while ensuring equitable access to emerging opportunities. Programs that intentionally serve both workers and contractors illustrate how workforce development functions most effectively as a comprehensive economic strategy integrating credential attainment with entrepreneurship, business capacity, and regional coordination.
The experience at COD highlights the capacity of community colleges to function as system-level actors within this landscape. When colleges align workforce training with contractor development and collaborate across public, private and community sectors, they create regional ecosystems capable of sustaining employment growth.
More broadly, the clean energy transition reframes the role of community colleges in economic development. The CEJA model demonstrates how policy, education, and industry engagement can be integrated to advance inclusive growth rather than isolated programmatic outcomes. Sustained collaboration, intentional equity-centered design, and long-term institutional partnerships will remain essential to ensuring that the clean energy economy develops in ways that reflect and invest in the communities it is intended to serve.
