Maeve Fairfax is a reporter with the Community News Service, part of the University of Vermont’s Reporting & Documentary Storytelling program.
Vermonters are learning how to weatherize homes and install heat pumps for free through Vermont Adult Learning’s Energyworks programs.
Weatherizing houses saves the average Vermont household $1,000 per year, “which might be the differential of whether they can stay in that home,” said David Justice, Associate Director at Vermont Adult Learning.
Vermont Adult Learning partners with a state program to help income-eligible Vermonters weatherize their homes. The organization intends to grow the green workforce, improve the lives of vulnerable Vermonters and help the state reach its climate emission reduction goals.
Low-income and unemployed Vermonters are recruited to participate in trainings, said Justice.
“So we’re actually training people that live in poverty to learn weatherization and work for a company that weatherizes homes for people living in poverty,” he said.
The organization chose to prioritize weatherization and heat pump installation partially due to the state’s climate goals, said Director of Workforce Development Kim Rupe Lennox. To hit the Global Warming Solutions Act 2030 targets, Vermont needs to weatherize 120,000 homes between 2020 and 2030. Energyworks was created to aid this effort while supporting vulnerable residents, Rupe Lennox said.
The trainings are usually two weeks long and free, with stipends available to participants. The schedule is jam-packed and about half of the training is hands-on: at least one week of technical training and opportunities for participants to test their skills, said Justice.
Crucial certifications — like CPR/First aid, OSHA 10 workplace safety and gender equity training — are offered to participants. EPA 608, a certification required for jobs involving refrigerants, is available to participants during heat pump installation trainings. Job readiness skills, like resume and cover letter writing and career planning, are incorporated as well, said Justice.
The location and timing of the trainings are chosen carefully, and Vermont Adult Learning works with employers ahead of time to try to run programs in regions where there will soon be job openings, said Justice.
Participants must be 16 or older, and the organization aims to recruit people interested in full-time employment, said Justice. Participants come from many backgrounds: some have just graduated high school, some have worked desk jobs and want to pivot to working with their hands, and some are trying to get back into the workforce, said Rupe Lennox.
Josh Jakab took a heat pump installation training in Rutland last March. He had worked in construction and as a restaurant manager but was looking to work in a different trade.
Jakab heard about the training through social media. He didn’t have his heart set on heat pump installation but decided it was worth a shot — especially because there was a stipend offered.
During the training, he workshopped his resume and afterwards applied to multiple different jobs. He settled on an Electrical Apprenticeship Program at Omega Electric, a four-year program that offers a mixture of classes and hands-on experience, Jakab said.
Though he wound up in a different trade, Jakab thought having the OSHA 10 certification was helpful in getting his job. He thought the Energyworks training showed employers he had initiative, too.
“I think the class at least… showed I wanted to learn something and could do something other than the bare minimum of showing up to work every day,” he said.
Some Energyworks participants are New Americans. Vermont Adult Learning has programming for English Language Learners, and this demographic of students has increased over 80% in the past 2-3 years, according to Justice. Now, over a third of all current students are learning English, he said.
Many refugees who wind up in Vermont have experience in the trades but struggle to find employment because they don’t speak English, said Justice.
Dana Sehovic, English Language Learner Instructor for Workforce Development, holds classes in advance of trainings, teaching participants English words related to their trade. This can help New Americans get better paying jobs, “and do something that they really love and are passionate about at the same time,” said Rupe Lennox.
These jobs usually start at $22 per hour with benefits, Justice said. The profession is tough because workers are out in the elements all year. But many take pride in doing a job that others would be unwilling to take on, and helping people stay in their homes, Justice said.
Participants arrive with vastly different levels of experience, said Justice. Some need more instruction before they are ready to work, and are often directed to longer-term training programs. Others are ready to start entry-level jobs immediately and are usually referred to an employer partner willing to hire past participants. Some have the skills but can’t work because of other challenges in their lives, said Justice.
“A lot of our participants are in poverty and some of them are in unstable housing,” said Justice.
Part of the organization’s role is “working with them to think about other services in the community that might be available to support them, and also what their plan B, C, D is should transportation or childcare fall through,” he said.
After each training, participants fill out a survey. The feedback is usually positive.
“A lot of times it was like, ‘Hey, I didn’t even know that I could do this. And here I am, walking away with the skillsets that I need and feeling really confident to enter the workforce within this sector,’” Rupe Lennox said.
