Workforce Staffing and Training Programs

One of your biggest fixed costs doesn’t have to be.

Energy is one of the largest expenses for industrial manufacturers and is often viewed as a fixed cost. Managing energy leads to key opportunities to create new value, reduce risk, and increase uptime. When you institute a dedicated energy manager and a strategic approach to energy management, you unlock benefits throughout your business.

How You Benefit

• Achieve leaner operations with processes that decrease costs and waste
• Increase profitability through long-term reduced energy costs
• Improve the reliability and decrease the downtime of your systems and equipment
• Ensure security, worker safety, and comfort across your facilities
• Enhance your brand reputation as a committed sustainability leader with employees, customers, investors, and other key stakeholders

Energy Saving Programs

Ready to put energy to work? NYSERDA has programs to help your organization develop and implement energy management practices. 

On-site Energy Manager (OsEM)

Receive a 75 percent cost-share for industrial and commercial facilities or multifamily buildings owners to hire a dedicated, full-time on-site energy manager.

An energy manager is responsible for promoting operations and maintenance best practices, reducing energy costs, implementing workforce training programs, and more. The energy manager can be a new permanent hire, a contractor, or a hybrid thereof.

Consider this program if:

• You do not have an employee focused on strategically managing your energy use
• You are able to hire a permanent or contracted on-site energy manager for a minimum of 12 months during the program
• You want to better understand your current energy use and identify energy saving opportunities

Strategic Energy Management (SEM)

A 12-month fully funded training program to learn how to incorporate SEM into business operations.

Participate in group workshops, individual trainings, and webinars, participants learn how to establish and implement SEM. Receive ongoing technical support for 12 months following completion of the training.

Consider this program if:

• You have an employee who dedicates part or all of his or her work time to managing your energy usage
• Your employee has the ability to travel for trainings 
• You are already engaged in continuous improvement or lean Six Sigma programs
• You are looking to change the way your organization and workforce think about and use energy

Additional Training Opportunities

Building Operations and Maintenance Workforce Development Training Program—Funding to help businesses develop training programs that create the education strategy, on-site training framework, and tools needed to advance the skills of building operations and maintenance workers. Support extends to training, apprenticeships, internships, and more. NYSERDA will share up to 50 percent of the cost of eligible projects, with a cap of $400,000 per application. Learn more.

Leveraging Multiple Workforce Program—Multiple programs offer funding to help clean energy businesses train and grow their workforce. Note that employers can choose to leverage multiple programs to upskill or grow their team, or choose to participate in an individual program, based on their needs. Learn more.