Workforce Development

The Oregon legislature allocated $2 million for energy efficiency workforce and contractor training through House Bill 3409. The Oregon Department of Energy will use that funding, and funding from the federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) and the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), to develope grant opportunities to provide funding for programs related to workforce development.

Background

Oregon is committed to clean energy and the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. With the help of increased investments from federal and state funding sources, Oregon is making progress towards these goals. As we transition to clean energy the number of jobs needed to complete this transition is expected to outpace available workers. To address these shortages, the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) of 2021 and the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) of 2022 have allocated more than $250 million nationally for workforce development-related programs. The Oregon legislature, through HB 3409 (2023) has allocated an additional $2 million for energy efficiency workforce and contractor training. The Oregon Department of Energy will be developing grant opportunities to provide funding for programs related to workforce development in the coming year.

Current and Upcoming Workforce Development Related Programs:

The Oregon Department of Energy, along with coalition partners Energy Trust of Oregon and the Bonneville Environmental Foundation, was awarded $86.6 million from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency under the Solar for All program. Oregon's successful application included a workforce development component that consists of subgrants to organizations providing training in solar installation and related skills and a subcontract for an organization to implement a solar business accelerator to provide technical and business skills and mentoring for small solar contractors.

On August 7, 2025 the Oregon Department of Energy received a letter from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency stating that the EPA is canceling all Solar for All program funding. EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin also made an announcement on social media. We are surprised and disappointed to hear the U.S. EPA is moving to rescind these already-obligated funds. ODOE is working with our partners, the Governor's Office, and Oregon's Attorney General on actions to ensure these funds continue to serve Oregonians as intended.

More information is available on the program page

In 2023 HB 3409 was passed by the Oregon legislature creating the Energy Efficiency Technologies Information and Training Fund for training programs that provide training for technicians and contractors. ODOE awarded $2 million in grants through the program. More information is available on the program page.

Training for Residential Energy Contractors (TREC) - Formula

The Oregon Department of Energy has applied for a $2,028,480 TREC formula grant from the U.S. Department of Energy. Funding under this grant will be opened to the public as a competitive subgrant opportunity, Once U.S. DOE has approved ODOE's proposal for using Oregon's allocation under the TREC Formula grant program, funding will be available to programs that provide training for new and existing HVAC contractors, energy auditors, or contractor business development. More information to come.

Energy Auditor Training - Residential

ODOE has applied for $1,664,600 from the U.S. Department of Energy to train additional home energy auditors. This program will be a partner program with training modules that can be stacked or pursued as standalone trainings, providing multiple certification opportunities. The trainings will be open to new and existing energy auditors. More information to come.