This September, REACH Strategies organized a first-of-its-kind Electrification Job Fair in Northern California to help build one of the fastest-growing workforce sectors in America: the clean energy industry. Last year, the U.S. added 142,000 jobs in the fields of electric vehicles, home and building electrification, and renewable and clean energy — and the rate of job growth in these industries just keeps growing.
The Marin Electrification Career Fair, which took place at the Marin County Fairgrounds, brought more than 100 job seekers in contact with employers, unions, and nonprofits to talk about high-quality jobs.
This event, which the County of Marin sponsored, wasn’t just focused on setting up job candidates with informational interviews. We had childcare available, as well as organizations that help job seekers put together a strong resume and an interview wardrobe. A number of local news outlets covered the fair, which helped increase attendance.
"There are so many career opportunities available in electrification right now, and at REACH we’re proud to facilitate these conversations in Northern California," says Amanda Scarborough-Heilmeier, director of Program Strategy & Development at REACH. "The excitement we felt at the success of this event reminded us of the first EV test drives we organized 12 years ago, when no one had thought about harnessing the power of first-person experiences to sell drivers on electric vehicles."
From our discussions with utilities, companies, and public agencies around the US, we also know: Clean energy career fairs should be taking place in communities all over this country. Electrification is coming to both rural and urban communities, and it’s coming quickly. Transportation electrification and renewable energy will drive dollars back into rural counties that have suffered from a lack of economic investment. The clean energy sector’s career paths are available to people across so many skill sets and life experiences.
To build this workforce as quickly as we need to transform America’s economy, we have to create events like this pilot Electrification Career Fair that reach out to job seekers and tell them: There’s a place for you in the electrification economy.
Reach out to us if you'd like to talk about organizing an electrification career fair in your community!
