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Boston continues to build climate-ready workforce
PowerCorps connects residents with hands-on jobs training and expands career pathways, strengthening neighbourhoods and building a climate-ready workforce.
At a glance
Who: City of Boston; Worker Empowerment Cabinet; Environment Department.
What: Boston has announced that applications are open for the next cohort of PowerCorps Boston, the City’s green industry workforce development programme for young people.
Why: It connects residents with hands-on jobs training and expands career pathways across sectors, strengthening neighbourhoods and building a more climate-ready workforce.
When: PowerCorps Boston is accepting applications for the May 2026 cohort.
Boston has announced that applications are open for the next cohort of PowerCorps Boston, the City’s green industry workforce development programme for young people.
Following a “learn and earn” model, the programme pays Boston’s young adults to participate in hands-on training while providing career readiness support and connections to employers in the green industry. Residents ages 18-30 can apply.
Most pressing environmental challenges
Led by the Worker Empowerment Cabinet, in partnership with the Environment Department, PowerCorps Boston prepares young adults for living-wage careers that address Boston’s most pressing environmental challenges.
The initiative collaborates with more than 60 non-profits, higher education institutions, and private sector organisations in Boston’s green industry to offer participants high-quality training opportunities and classroom instruction that lead to industry-recognised credentials.
“PowerCorps Boston is a direct investment in the future of our young leaders while helping build Boston into a more vibrant, greener and resilient city,” said Mayor Michelle Wu. “This critical programme connects residents with hands-on jobs training and expands career pathways across sectors, strengthening our neighbourhoods and building a more climate-ready workforce. As applications open for our next cohort, I encourage anyone interested to apply, and we’re looking forward to welcoming the programme’s next generation of leaders this summer.”
”PowerCorps is a proven career pipeline that will lead workers to good jobs, address the effects of climate change, and meet employer and industry demands”
Over the course of 10 months, members receive a comprehensive and immersive experience that includes two phases:
- The first phase, Foundations, is a four-month training programme where participants focus on workforce-readiness skills, are introduced to green industry careers, and receive necessary support services to complete the programme. This phase combines training in soft skills and environmental hard skills, applicable for employment in the green industry and beyond
- The second phase, Industry Academy, comprises six-month’s training where participants choose to specialise in one of the three tracks:
Urban forestry: the study of arboriculture, including topics like soils, urban tree stressors, and pruning techniques.
Building operations: A hybrid training model combining college-level courses and on-the-job training to operate and maintain buildings at peak efficiency.
Urban greening: A training in green infrastructure, urban agriculture, and natural resource management.
Read More
“PowerCorps Boston offers young adults, especially those from environmental justice populations, a great opportunity to earn money to get hands-on experience, skills training, and several industry-recognised certifications, all while improving their communities,” said Davo Jefferson, executive director of PowerCorps Boston. “The programme prepares participants for pathways to living wage, high-demand jobs, and positions them to have a positive impact on both the city and the environment.
To create a climate-ready city, Boston must cultivate a climate-ready workforce. According to the City’s Climate Ready Workforce Action plan, Boston is expected to see increased demand for workers across all green-related positions in the coming decades. Between now and 2050, efforts to design, build, and operate a clean energy economy and to ensure Boston’s climate resiliency will keep about 67,000 people employed each year, including 6,700 new jobs that would not exist without Boston’s climate policies and strategies.
“PowerCorps Boston is a direct investment in the future of our young leaders while helping build Boston into a more vibrant, greener and resilient city”
The report suggests, expanding training opportunities, especially for the 46 per cent of Bostonians without a Bachelor’s Degree, will be critical to ensuring Boston can meet the demands of a growing, evolving green economy. The City reports programmes like PowerCorps Boston are critical to strengthening Boston’s green workforce ecosystem and preparing residents for high-quality, skilled employment in green jobs.
“Boston is leading the charge in developing a climate-ready workforce,” said Trinh Nguyen, chief of worker empowerment. ”PowerCorps is a proven career pipeline that will lead workers to good jobs, address the effects of climate change, and meet employer and industry demands. I encourage eligible young adults to apply and take the first step to a fulfilling, impactful career.”
Outdoor, hands-on training
PowerCorps Boston is accepting applications for the May 2026 cohort. Referrals can also be submitted. To be eligible, applicants must be 18-30 years old; be a Boston resident; have a high school diploma or its equivalent (Ged/HiSet); be unemployed or underemployed and not in college or on a career track; and have an interest in outdoor, hands-on training.
Priority populations include residents from environmental justice communities, returning citizens, court-involved residents, youth who have experienced homelessness or housing instability, youth who have been in foster care, and other marginalised communities.
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How does PowerCorps Boston measure participant job placement and retention rates?How are industry-recognized credentials integrated into the program curriculum?How does the program prioritize applicants from environmental justice communities?How do the three specialization tracks align with local employer skill demands?How can PowerCorps scale to meet Boston’s projected climate-related job growth?Bostonclimate actionClimate change/ResilienceCommercial buildingseconomic developmentEnergy & EnvironmentGovernance and CitizenhousinginclusivityMunicipal buildingsnet zeroPeople and SkillsRenewablesResidential buildingsresiliencesmart gridssolar powerTidal powerurban spacewaterwind power
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