Home Energy Retrofit Occupations (HERO) Academy

On-the-Job Workforce Development Training Program

Earth Advantage and our industry partners are finalizing the development of a Home Energy Retrofit Occupations (HERO) Academy training program that will provide pre-apprenticeship program participants with specialized job-readiness training, work-based learning experience in the home retrofit industry, and a pathway into job placement in a high roads career.

Employer Participation & Benefits

Employers and contractors in the Home Retrofit industry are looking for opportunities to hire entry-level new workers who are reliable, trainable, have good work ethic, and are motivated to work on upgrading our existing housing stock. The HERO Academy will offer career-specific training for new workers with these goals in mind, and will be taught by existing contractors who are subject matter experts and industry leaders.

The HERO Academy can help Employers:

Vett and hire highly trained New Workers to satisfy current workforce needs
Meet diverse workforce (low income, people of color, women) utilization goals required under the Portland Clean Energy Fund
Build capacity and take advantage of more business opportunities to meet increasing demand for home energy upgrades
(due to new and emerging incentive programs like PCEF, the IRA & IIJA)

Employers who participate in the HERO Academy will be:

Provided with new worker wage offsets, training, support, and compensation for their involvement
Able to interview, host, and hire graduates from the HERO Academy to participate in three months of on-the-job training (OJT)
Invited to participate in classroom and in-field specialization training (for new workers as well as employers' existing workers)
Routinely surveyed to identify their specific needs for new workers

Training & Career Pathway Focus

The program will train new workers in two pathways: Air Source Heat Pump Installer and Heat Pump Water Heater Installer. Heat Pumps are a crucial technology to reach climate goals and are growing in demand. This focus will addresses crucial skills gaps in this sector and ensures contractors have capacity to implement IRA home energy rebates while offering high road jobs and sustainable careers to new workers from under-represented backgrounds in the constructoin sector.

Timeline & Program Launch:

This program is funded throughh the Portland Clean Energy Community Benefits Fund and in active development. The program will be gathering employer committments in Q2 2025 and the first training for new workers will begin at the start of Q4 2025.

Learn more about the HERO Academy program below and contact us at workforce@earthadvantage.org if you have questions about this program.

Employers interested in participating - please complete this form and we will be in touch!

HERO Academy Program Information

Step 1: PRE-APPRENTICESHIP TRAINING

Trainees would first attend and graduate from an 8-10 week pre-apprenticeship program provided quarterly by each of our partners (Constructing Hope, LatinoBuilt, Portland YouthBuilders, Oregon Tradewsomen, or POIC) where they will have demonstrated their reliable attendance and proven knowledge of the following:

Core Construction Skills
Residential Construction Careers
Blueprint Reading & Applied Construction Math
Material & Power Tool Handling
Safety Certifications (OSHA 10 & 40, CPR/First Aid, Confined Space, HAZWOPER)
Financial Management & Plan for Life Success
Workplace Expectations, Construction Culture & Professional Communications

During pre-apprenticeship, Trainees will be exposed to residential career pathways and the opportunity to apply for the HERO Academy program.

Step 2: SPECIALIZATION TRAINING

Following graduation from Pre-Apprenticeship, HERO Academy orientation sessions will be provided as an opportunity for Trainees to become more familiar with specific career pathways within the Home Retrofit industry (see list below). Employers will be surveyed to identify their workforce needs and positions in the training program will be allotted based on these hiring needs. Trainees will apply for the program, and if accepted, will then participate in a 3-week intensive Home Retrofit Specialization Training program that will focus on specific career pathways and include classroom, hands-on and in-field learning. The Trainees will earn professional credentials and become work and field-ready for the following entry-level positions:

Heat Pump Installer (HVAC)
Water Heater Installer (Plumbing)
Retrofit Installer (Home Performance & Insulation)
Energy Auditor (Home Energy Scoring)

Step 3: ON-THE-JOB TRAINING (OJT)

Following Specialization Training, Trainees would be placed with Employers for 12-weeks of work-based learning. This will involve Employers interviewing, hosting and hiring Trainees to perform real-world work in the entry-level position for which they were trained. Employers will receive wage offsets, training, support, & compensation for their participation, and the employer's existing workers will also receive additional training and mentorship. During this portion of the program, Trainees will increase their competency through job shadowing and receiving on-the-job training during the normal course of business (provided by the employer’s team, supported by Earth Advantage), in-field training and mentorship (provided by Earth Advantage), and attending ongoing classroom training while continuing to earn professional credentials (provided by Earth Advantage).

Step 4: FULL EMPLOYMENT

Upon completion of the program, Trainees will have acquired the specialized knowledge and in-field skills to become New Workers for the entry-level jobs in these specialized fields within the home retrofit industry. Employers who hired and hosted Trainees for the OJT program are then expected to continue offering full-time work for their New Worker trainees. Ongoing support and check-ins will be provided for the Employer and New Workers, however wage stipends will no longer be provided after the 12-week OJT.

About the Program Team

Earth Advantage is a green building training provider focused on making a more informed and humane residential construction landscape. Constructing Hope is a BOLI certified pre-apprenticeship program in Portland with a mission to help low income adults rebuild their lives through careers in construction. EnerCity Collaborative aims to ensure the financial, environmental, and health benefits of a clean energy economy are fully realized in BIPOC, underserved, and frontline communities.

If you have any questions, please contact the Earth Advantage Workforce Team at workforce@earthadvantage.org.