PGE and statewide coalition selected as one of six final winners in the Quality Green Jobs Regional Challenge; awarded $750,000 to develop Oregon’s clean energy workforce

In October, Jobs for the Future and the Ares Charitable Foundation announced that PGE, on behalf of the Oregon Clean Energy Workforce Coalition, was selected as one of six final winners in the Quality Green Jobs Regional Challenge, receiving a $750,000 grant. With help from this funding, the coalition will collaborate with community-based organizations on training programs and develop resources to connect job seekers to careers in the clean energy sector.

PGE launched the Oregon Clean Energy Workforce Coalition (OCEWC) in 2022 to convene stakeholders working together to build equitable and inclusive career pathways to meet the needs of the energy sector. Coalition members include representatives from state, Tribal, and local governments, labor unions, workforce development boards, education and training providers, employers, and community-based organizations.

“We’re honored to be recognized alongside such amazing organizations building green jobs across the nation,” said Brooke Brownlee, PGE’s senior manager of Labor, Workforce, and Community Engagement and executive director of the OCEWC. “While each of our organizations are tackling the climate crisis in different ways, we all recognize the need to create an ecosystem of quality jobs that provide equitable opportunities for underrepresented populations.”

PGE, on behalf of the Oregon Clean Energy Workforce Coalition, was selected as one of six winners nationwide to advance clean energy careers through the Quality Green Jobs Regional Challenge.

The OCEWC utilized funding from previous rounds of the Quality Green Jobs Regional Challenge to conduct a statewide study to better understand workforce needs, obstacles, and opportunities in Oregon. The results of the analysis, completed in September 2024, affirm the Coalition’s ongoing focus on expanding pathways for communities historically underrepresented in the clean energy sector. While the median annual wages for workers in the clean energy sector are 37% higher than for Oregon’s overall workforce, both wages and job opportunities lag behind for women and people of color.One program supported by OCEWC that aims to address this gap is the Union Pre-Apprenticeship Construction Training Program (U-PACT Oregon) , which trains incarcerated women in construction trade skills. Upon release, graduates have direct entry or preferred placement into family-wage, union jobs.

The workforce study also confirmed that the clean energy sector is one of the fastest growing industries for employment. Green jobs in Oregon are expected to grow by 12% between 2021 and 2030, while also growing at twice the rate of overall U.S. employment nationally .

“The Coalition’s workforce analysis magnifies the need for partners across the state to collectively work to create the workforce that Oregon needs,” said Brooke Brownlee. “Through hundreds of millions of dollars flowing to Oregon through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the Inflation Reduction Act, and grants like the Quality Green Jobs Regional Challenge, we have a unique opportunity to create the playbook for how to create jobs that meet worker and industry needs. The Oregon Clean Energy Workforce Coalition is on track to do just that.”

Learn more about PGE’s workforce development strategies and the Quality Green Jobs Regional Challenge .