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V O L . X X X N O. I V F E B R UA R Y 1 9 , 2 0 2 4 16 E N E R G Y / E N V I RO N M E N T F O C U S programs, including at least two in Aroostook County that will train around 35 students between the ages of 16 to 20 this year. Students will receive in-class technical instruction with on- the-job training that could take them into the clean energy sector. Demand for earlier programs exceeded instruc- tional capacity; a program in Brewer last year received over twice the number of applicants than the 50 seats in the class, resulting in a waitlist. Going forward, AGC Maine's programs will start including adults looking to make a career change but don't have much exposure to the vari- ous construction career paths. "Our hope is that we're training a resilient workforce that is available regard- less of what the infrastructure needs look like as a whole and when we talk about Aroostook County," Flagg says. Long construction timelines Even though much attention and thought is being devoted to projects like King Pine, Longroad notes on its web- site that it doesn't anticipate construction starting until early 2028. at's why it's critical to balance the timing of work- force development programs to benefit both industry and workers, according to Chad Allen, the director of development at Longroad Energy. "ere'd be nothing worse than to start a workforce development program … let's say for wind turbine technicians, then train a number of people and then the work isn't there for them," he says, later noting his support for the progress AGC has made with its programs. Nonetheless, he thinks that cur- rent programs in Maine, like those run by AGC Maine and Northern Maine Community College, are on the right track. "A lot of the work they're doing may not be … germane to a specific project today, but I do think they're building the workforce that is capable of working in the fields that ultimately will be needed," he says. "For instance, take electricians and civil contractors. ey may not be working on King Pine tomorrow, but there are other opportu- nities in the region for them to start to build their skill sets, so that when King Pine is ready to start construction, that workforce is there." Northeastern Workforce Develop- ment Board Executive Director Galan Williamson also believes that there's room for improvement in terms of clean energy businesses and other workforce development stakeholders to understand and prioritize each other's needs. "We want to be having conversations with the employers and understand what their needs are so we can, through our network of partners, establish a strong connection between what the technical skills are that are required … and what that need will be," he says. "It's an area that we need to have more con- versations on, honestly." While some jobs may have obvious crossover into the clean energy field, others don't. "It goes further [than electricians and heavy equipment operators] to, you know, you're talking research and engineers," says Williamson. "It's pretty fascinating for us to be involved in trying to figure it out." Other barriers But even with the right programs in place, there are still barriers that can hamper prospective students' abil- ity to enroll and graduate. Although Northern Maine Community College has been hosting its program for a little over 15 years, both Little and another, now-former wind turbine technician, Jesse Small, says they weren't aware of the wind turbine technician program until after they had gone through their companies' own training programs. Kilcollins says students have found the program through Google searches, college brochures and advertisements on TV and newspapers. He also says the college essentially has developed a pipe- line with the human resources teams of the existing local wind operations. "I think as an industry, we need to do more in advertising or marketing that path to get to those jobs. I think we'd find there would be more interested men and women that would want to go that direction," says Kilcollins, noting that there's usually a surge in interest when a site is actively being developed. He adds that other technical careers, like auto repair, may be more obvious paths for students because "they see them on a daily basis." ere are also socioeconomic obstacles that are hard for students to navigate without directed support. Because even when a person wants to upskill into a new field and there are economic incentives to do so, "there's a certain financial sacrifice that some- times people have to make if they're going to go through training," noted Williamson. "Maybe they have to cut back on the amount of hours they work, maybe it creates certain barriers around childcare, maybe barriers around transportation or there's [no programs] available in that particular area, so you gotta get on a waitlist," he explained. "ere's just so many variables as to why people may decide to move on, it's one of the things you hear and it's very, very real for people who have poverty needs. e risk of losing support is huge." And unlike in most hands-on careers, Little says prospective wind tur- bine technicians face another challenge: completing a strenuous climbing test without the mechanical assist that usu- ally aids wind workers, to ensure they can haul their own body weight. Little recalled another interviewee who tested with him who "did not cut the mustard on the physicality side of things." "at's the 'make or break' situa- tion," says Small. "If you can't make it up the tower, you're done. at's the end of your interview and hiring process. I've given climb tests to guys who could only make it a quarter of the way up." Plus, although Small says it had been "extremely hard" to hire tech- nicians in Aroostook County when he was with his former team — a problem Little noted his own team faces — Kilcollins says he's aware of plenty of graduates of the Northern Maine Community College program who want to come back to Aroostook County but don't feel like there is work for them in the area. "It's really rewarding … if you can get beyond those barriers, then you're for a treat as far as [working] goes," Small says. B r i d g e t R e e d M o r a w s k i , a f r e e l a n c e w r i t e r , c a n b e r e a c h e d a t e d i t o r i a l @ m a i n e b i z . b i z » C O N T I N U E D F RO M P R E V I O U S PA G E Our hope is that we're training a resilient workforce that is available regardless of what the infrastructure needs look like as a whole and when we talk about Aroostook County. — Kelly Flagg Associated General Contractors of Maine Kelly Flagg, the executive director of the Associated General Contractors of Maine P ROV I D E D P H O T O

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