Alaska State Energy Sector Partnership (ASESP)

As part of a national effort to create a green economy, the Alaska State Energy Sector Partnership (ASESP) will develop a sustainable, strategic workforce plan to increase the supply of workers with skills that meet the demands of renewable energy and energy efficiency (RE/EE) industries.

Through a competitive grant process, listed on the online public notice system, job skills training projects should target every geographic and economic region of Alaska, particularly rural and remote communities where high energy costs and jobs will be located.

Projects relevant to Alaska include wind turbine, hydroelectric, geothermal, biomass, and energy efficiency end user technology. The technology associated with end user RE/EE strategies is sophisticated and evolving.  Because of technological developments, owners and operators must keep current with the changes.

ASESP will serve as the steering committee throughout the life of the grant program to participate in the planning, and support the implementation of the State’s energy sector strategy. The ASESP includes: the Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development, Division of Business Partnerships (DBP), the state’s Workforce Agency; the Employment Security Division (ESD), the state’s One-Stop service delivery provider; and Alaska Workforce Investment Board (AWIB), the state entity serving as the local board in Alaska’s regional planning area.  The Alaska AFL-CIO represents organized labor and the Alaska Energy Authority (AEA), Denali Commission, and Alaska Housing Finance Corporation (AHFC), the U.S. Office of Apprenticeship, Alaska Partnership Inc., and the University of Alaska Anchorage represent officials from the energy sector, economic development, and the state’s investment in energy efficiency.

ASESP will fund projects that include strategies to meet the demand for workers needed for renewable energy and energy efficiency (RE/EE) projects.  RE/EE jobs require upgrading the skills of incumbent workers; teaching new skills to workers in RE/EE technologies, and preparing entry-level workers planning to enter RE/EE jobs and careers.

Who should apply?
Qualified instructors supplied by Eligible Training Providers, apprenticeship and training programs, post-secondary institutions, industry trainers, employers, and other organizations that need or will need skilled workers or need to enhance the skills of incumbent workers in renewable energy and energy efficiency jobs and careers.

Elements critical to the delivery of training are:

  • The ability to train on relevant skills that can be applied to the current projects
  • The ability to deliver training as close to the project location as possible and to coordinate selection of training candidates with the recruitment of project employers

Who will benefit from this program?
Unemployed and underemployed individuals, especially those who are minorities, recipients of public assistance, veterans, people with disabilities, dislocated workers, out-of-school youth and incumbent workers who must enhance their skills in order to retain or obtain employment will gain training that will result in job referrals, placement, and apprentice positions.

The Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development is an equal opportunity employer/program. Auxiliary aides and services are available upon request to individuals with disabilities.