Maine’s Heat Pump Boom Has Been Promising for Rural Workforce Development. Can It Last?

Maine’s heat pump boom has been promising for rural workforce development. Can it last?

Uncertainties lie ahead as Maine approaches big deadlines for heat pump installation and bolstering its clean energy workforce.

In South Dakota, colleges partner with clean energy industry to meet growing demand for workers

This story is part of a collaboration between the Institute for Nonprofit News’ Rural News Network and Canary Media, South Dakota News Watch, Cardinal News, The Mendocino Voice and The Maine Monitor, with support from Ascendium Education Group. It is reprinted with permission. MITCHELL, S.D. — Matthew Pearson found a successful career in the wind energy industry purely by chance.After graduating from high school in Vermillion, Pearson knew he di…

California college grows clean energy program amid geothermal interest

Powering Rural Futures: Clean energy is creating new jobs in rural America, generating opportunities for people who install solar panels, build wind turbines, weatherize homes, and more. This five-part series from the Rural News Network explores how industry, state governments, and education systems are training…

Renewable energy industry becoming a powerful source of employment in South Dakota

MITCHELL, S.D. — Matthew Pearson found a successful career in the wind energy industry purely by chance. After graduating from high school in Vermillion, Pearson knew he didn’t want to pursue a four-year degree and instead scrolled through the list of majors offered at Mitchell Tech, one of the state’s four technical colleges. “When I came to the wind energy program, I thought, ‘Well, that sounds kind of cool,” Pearson, 28, recalled during a rec…