Sustainable Pittsburgh hosted the Clean Energy Workforce Roundtable on May 21, convening a packed room of cross-sector partners to explore how career maps, data, and messaging can better connect residents to the growing clean energy economy. Held at the Heinz 57 Center, the event brought together educators, workforce practitioners, community leaders, and employers for a morning of rich conversation, strategic updates, and collaborative breakout sessions.
Panel: Career Maps and Tech in Workforce Development
The morning kicked off with a panel discussion moderated by Sustainable Pittsburgh Executive Director Bhavini Patel, featuring:
- Justin Aglio, Executive Director, Readiness Institute at Penn State and Associate Vice President, Penn State Outreach
- Pam Dincher, Executive Director of Strategic Initiatives, Clean Energy Center at Penn College
- Valerie Karplus, Associate Director, Wilton E. Scott Institute for Energy Innovation and Professor of Engineering and Public Policy, Carnegie Mellon University
The panel explored how career maps and digital tools can improve awareness of clean energy job opportunities for students, job seekers, and communities that have often been left out of emerging workforce conversations. The speakers emphasized that these tools must be built on accurate, responsive data in order to help individuals understand what jobs are available, what they may already be qualified for, and what steps are needed to move forward.
The panel highlighted how personal experience and community context play a critical role in shaping workforce decisions. Justin Aglio spoke about how limited exposure to career options, especially in communities historically tied to industries like coal, can shape generational expectations. He and Pam Dincher emphasized the potential of career maps to introduce new opportunities for individuals with educators and counselors helping to guide them along the way. Valerie Karplus added a systems-level view, noting that high-quality data can help identify pathways for transitioning from legacy industries into emerging clean energy roles.
At the same time, the panel cautioned that if career maps are not designed thoughtfully, they risk reinforcing the very inequities they aim to address. Ensuring their value requires intentional development and strong community partnerships.
Audience members raised important questions about how apprenticeships are integrated, how employers can be more engaged, and how to ensure career maps capture the full spectrum of job opportunities. Panelists emphasized that while career maps are a valuable resource, their impact depends on strong relationships, active mentorship, and meaningful exposure to real-world work experiences.
Regional Updates from Allegheny County and the City of Pittsburgh
Brittany Prischak, Director of the Allegheny County Department of Sustainability, introduced the county’s upcoming Climate Action Plan and invited roundtable participants to get involved in shaping it. She noted that the plan will be developed over the next 12–18 months and emphasized opportunities to coordinate with existing community events and networks. Initial surveys and a new public engagement website are expected to launch in mid-June, with larger public events scheduled for September.
Matt Mahoney, Climate and Energy Planning Manager at the City of Pittsburgh, shared updates on the city’s PGH2050 Comprehensive Plan. With research synthesis underway and a summer of engagement planned, Mahoney invited participants to explore the city’s digital engagement hub and share feedback on how the plan can better reflect workforce and sustainability priorities. He also spotlighted the city’s PGH Lab initiative and encouraged organizations to apply for the 2026 cohort, with applications opening Fall 2025.
TrailBlaze Presentation: Defining and Promoting Clean Energy Careers
Tim Hindes, Chief Trail Officer with TrailBlaze Creative, introduced draft concepts for a marketing campaign to support the launch and adoption of the Clean Energy Career Maps, under development by Sustainable Pittsburgh with support from Julius Education. Designed to raise visibility of clean energy jobs, the campaign aims to increase public understanding of what clean energy jobs are, where they exist, and how they connect to long-term, reliable careers.
A key focus of the effort is reaching audiences that may not currently see themselves reflected in the industry, and emphasizing that these roles may require the same skills used in other industries.
During the session, participants were invited to engage with a live polling exercise that prompted responses to draft messaging and visuals around clean energy careers in southwestern Pennsylvania. Attendees shared reactions, identified missing language or ideas, and suggested refinements for tone, clarity, and resonance.
Breakout Sessions
After the presentation, attendees divided into two breakout sessions, each focused on a key initiative within the roundtable: career maps and workforce vitality.
Career Map Committee
Facilitated by Tim Hindes, this session explored how to communicate the full scope of careers reflected in the maps and how to ensure the career maps are relevant across geographic and demographic lines. Participants discussed the challenge of expanding public understanding beyond the most visible clean energy jobs, such as solar installation, to include related fields like transportation, sales, and equipment maintenance. They emphasized that language matters and that small shifts can make a big difference. For example, “skilled trades” was viewed as more approachable than “building trades,” and “reliable work” resonated more clearly with some audiences than technical industry terms like “resiliency.”
The group also emphasized the importance of regional access. Many workforce programs primarily serve Allegheny County, so the maps could be positioned to help job seekers from surrounding counties connect to training and employment opportunities. The conversation also touched on the need to showcase non-traditional pathways, such as veterans transitioning into new industries, or unskilled workers entering pre-apprenticeship tracks. Participants agreed that the success of the maps will depend not only on good design and information, but also on trusted messengers, localized outreach, and exposure to real-world experience.
Workforce Vitality Committee
Led by Coleman Rogers, a Fellow with the U.S. Department of Energy, this session focused on a draft Workforce Vitality Index. The index is being developed to help the region track where job opportunities are growing, where barriers exist, and how to align investments and policies to improve access. Participants reviewed a framework that considers factors like job growth and barriers such as transportation, childcare, and financial insecurity.
The group offered detailed feedback on how to improve the tool. Several attendees suggested clarifying the definitions used in the index and identifying data sources that reflect both industry demand and community needs. Others emphasized the need to break down barriers like transportation into more specific categories to better reflect lived experiences, such as long commute times or lack of flexible transit options.
The conversation also turned to employer practices and job quality. Participants discussed the importance of mentorship, co-op models, and engaging employers early to ensure job seekers are prepared for the realities of the workplace. The index was seen as a useful tool not only for analyzing workforce trends but also for advocating more effectively for funding and policy support.
Both sessions underscored a common goal: improving access to clean energy careers by increasing visibility, strengthening partnerships, and centering the voices of communities most affected by economic transition.
What’s Next
The Clean Energy Workforce Roundtable will reconvene on August 28, 2025, with continued focus on advancing career visibility, addressing workforce barriers, and strengthening collaboration across sectors. In the meantime, the Workforce Vitality Committee will continue to meet and refine the development of the regional Workforce Vitality Index.
If you’re interested in getting involved or learning more about the work of the Roundtable, contact John Ukenye, Senior Director of Policy and Strategic Initiatives at Sustainable Pittsburgh, at jukenye@sustainablepittsburgh.org.