Energy Warriors program provides paths to green jobs, and hope

When Zutiyah Graham moved to upstate New York in 2021, she found herself in the same employment rut she'd been in back in North Carolina.

She was in and out of an automotive training program in Oneonta and worked briefly at McDonald's and then at Walmart, where she was frequently assigned to supervise self-checkout. For someone who likes to stay active, to use her hands, it was torture.

Graham wanted something more.

"I felt like, you know what, it's time you look for a career, not a job," she said. "You want some stability, something you could call yours and a job you don't dread."

The answer for Graham - who now works as an HVAC installation technician for Halco Energy, in a job she described as "perfect" for her - came in the form of Energy Warriors, an intensive 12-week program that trains adults, many of whom face obstacles to employment, for jobs in the green sector. Offered by Cornell Cooperative Extension Tompkins County (CCE Tompkins County) since 2021, the program provides anyone 18 or older with a comprehensive foundation in environmental literacy, from climate change to renewable energy broadly, to specific efforts to lower the region's carbon footprint, with an emphasis on new and expanding career paths.

So far, 36 graduates have earned certification as environmental specialists through the program, which is recognized by the U.S. Department of Labor as a pre-apprenticeship. Post-graduation, the program offers holistic support in finding employment, including connections to employers, resume and interview prep, transportation and the purchase of needed supplies, such as tools and shoes.

Energy Warriors staff also teach a version of the course for high school students at New Roots Charter School in Ithaca.

"It's a simple philosophy," said Aloja Airewele, program leader and equity, diversity and inclusion coordinator for CCE Tompkins County. "We are investing in their future, knowing that investment will yield more than 100-fold for the next generation."

The program is set to expand this spring, with funding from the U.S. Department of Energy, through the office of Senator Chuck Schumer, to offer a paid 18-month internship. The longer program will include the standard 12-week curriculum, followed by more focused training and professional shadowing in home energy auditing and weatherization. Funding is also pending for further training in heat pump installation and expansion of the program to additional counties.

In addition to hard and soft skills, participants said the program offers something even more significant: hope.

"That's what I'm all about: Giving people more options, more chances, more hope and more agency than they initially think or feel they have," said Keegan Young, an alum of the program and now a teacher in it, who faced housing and employment challenges after serving time in prison. "I've been there before, and I know how important it is to let people know and see their potential."

A one-stop shop

Energy Warriors has existed in some form since 2014. It was founded by then-Ithaca City Court Judge Marjorie Olds, who wanted to break cycles of generational incarceration that she saw in the courts. The group initially focused its efforts on training young people in juvenile detention centers across the state, providing education, support and certifications that would give them a leg up in the green energy sector.

That iteration of the program ended with the COVID-19 pandemic, but Airewele saw an opportunity in Ithaca. The city had just committed to the Green New Deal, a government-led initiative to reach community-wide carbon neutrality by 2030, with a focus on social justice.

"We had individuals who had been incarcerated but were out, or people who had been justice-involved, individuals who, for some reason, had not had a chance to be employed fruitfully," Airewele said. "And we were having the green economy opening up in Ithaca. We said, why don't we start in Ithaca and Tompkins County and see if it takes? And it did."

The success of the program depends on local and regional partnerships, Airewele said, a network of education providers, employers and contractors, many of whom meet monthly to assess needs and opportunities to better serve the participants and the community. The program works closely with Tompkins-Seneca-Tioga Board of Cooperative Educational Services (TST BOCES), which can fill gaps for participants, like helping them earn a GED certificate, or providing additional professional development, such as the heat pump installation training they offer every year.

"We've created an ecosystem and a one-stop shop," Airewele said. "The aim is to not duplicate but maximize the efforts so that we can provide a more robust package to the trainees who come to our programs."

In 2022 and 2023, the program collaborated with BlocPower to give Energy Warriors graduates paid, hands-on training insulating basements for low- to middle-income families. Called Cozy Basements, the program employed eight graduates, who went on to insulate nearly 60 homes at no cost to the homeowners.

"We were all different backgrounds, ages, races, and we all had such respect," said Harrison Hensley, an Energy Warriors and Cozy Basements alum who now works for CCE Tompkins County as a community energy educator. "I was just excited to go to work with those guys and know that was just the beginning, that there would continue to be bigger and better things on the horizon."

Finding meaning

Energy Warriors participants have varied backgrounds. Some have been incarcerated or come from underprivileged backgrounds, while others are searching for work after graduating from high school or college. All of them are looking for more than just a paycheck.

"For me to have meaning in my life, I need to find ways to impact people and help the planet," said Hensley, who graduated from college in 2019 but struggled to find work he truly cared about. "Energy Warriors showed me that it was possible to find that job and that space that's right."

For Graham, the program's investment in her as a person made her stick with it. "They help with stuff like your mental health," she said, "and at a certain point, I was like, why would I not go there every day? Something there is really benefiting me."

Airewele said this focus on the whole person is intentional and giving participants a sense of dignity is an essential component of the course.

"It's not so much the technical knowledge," he said, "but working with individuals to raise their personal value."

Airewele said that means giving them everything from a healthy breakfast and good coffee and a nice place to learn, to long-term support that extends beyond the classroom.

For example: Not only did Energy Warriors staff help Graham find employment, but they also bought the clothes and tools she needed for the job and drove her to work the first week. They made sure she was prepared to make a good first impression.

"That's really what it takes to get and keep a job," Airewele said. "And we want to open doors for the individuals who really need it."

"I've been having so much support here, and it's helped me level up," Graham said. "Now I know I'm going far because every single day I wake up, and I think about my future."

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