Policy & Practice | Winter 2024

Now, thanks to a growing media and community presence, employers are approaching Goodwill and requesting to be involved with the program. Goodwill’s ability to easily attract worthy trainees to the program has also been facilitated through thoughtful partnerships and outreach. By working together with other well-connected organizations like Houston’s Resiliency Workforce Collaborative, JPMorgan Chase, and the United Way of Greater Houston, Goodwill has been able to generate a steady flow of referrals and support. Wraparound services such as housing, child care support, and one-on-one career coaching are also provided to help participants manage their respon sibilities while undergoing training. For more than three years, Goodwill of Houston has focused on a Community Mission Integration approach that believes in partnering using a five-sector strategy. Like the local workforce board, Goodwill of Houston has a vast service area to serve 14 counties. Chief People Officer Alma Duldulao-Ybarra, a 24-year Texas resident, states, “We cannot do this work alone without formally partnering with the sectors in education, business, nonprofit, faith based, and government, as they are established pillars in the communities—to scale impact.” — Chief People Officer Alma Duldulao Ybarra, Goodwill of Houston “We cannot do this work alone without formally partnering with the sectors in education, business, nonprofit, faith based, and government, as they are established pillars in the community. These partnerships will enable us to conduct outreach to candidates and to place graduates in their local

Last year, Accenture and Goodwill answered the call to address this chal lenge, partnering on the co-design, development, and launch of a green jobs training program that centers on recruiting under-represented job seekers and readying them for careers in clean energy. Recognizing that 40 percent of clean energy jobs do not require a two- or four-year degree, the Clean Tech Accelerator program aims to create faster, equitable pathways for skill development, focusing on equip ping underemployed and unemployed candidates with the skills and certifica tions needed for well-paying positions in this sector. By doing so, the program not only strengthens families but also bolsters the broader community. Overall, Clean Tech Accelerator aims to meet the growing needs of the clean energy economy in a consistent, scaled fashion that prioritizes equity in the com munities it serves. Its goals are to develop a scalable, self-sustaining program for clean tech job training and placement, establish Goodwill as a clearinghouse for honing clean tech talent, and diversify the ranks of the clean energy workforce. In the last year, Clean Tech Accelerator launched as a pilot in four cities— Atlanta, Nashville, Detroit, and Houston—with a goal to expand to 30 cities by 2030.

One of the driving forces behind the growth of the program in Houston is Tanya Majied, Senior Director of Workforce Development at Goodwill of Houston, where the program launched in January 2024. Answering the Call for Change Prior to joining Goodwill of Houston, Majied had spent three decades of her career focused on economic development and skills training programs in the DC metropol itan area. Given her background, when Goodwill Industries International and Accenture invited Majied and other Goodwill leaders to North Carolina in 2023 to explore the Clean Tech Accelerator vision, she eagerly accepted and was instantly impressed. The program would focus on bridging the gap between workforce development and employment, pro viding training for some of the most in-demand clean energy jobs in the EV-charging station technicians. Each pilot city would launch with a single career training focus—for Houston that would be heat pump technician training—with the hope of adding new learning pathways as time went on. Reach One, Teach One: Bringing People Along the Journey For a successful workforce program, both upskilled trainees and hiring employers are required. As the program in Houston got underway, the team quickly recognized the importance of early engagement with prospective employers to raise their interest and understand their hiring needs. As Majied describes it, when employers visit the lab, the program comes to life for them, and they can see its validity and relevance in action. As the perception of the program has become increasingly positive, the dynamic for procuring employers has also shifted. Initially, Goodwill of Houston had to actively pursue poten tial employers, starting with smaller residential HVAC (heating, ventila tion, and air conditioning) companies. country: heat pump technicians, solar and storage installers, and

Molly Bauch is the North American Connected Energy Lead at Accenture.

Tanya Majied is the Senior Director

of Workforce Development at Goodwill of Houston.

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