Building a Future‑Ready Energy Workforce Through Sector Strategies

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The U.S. energy sector is complex, rapidly evolving, and increasingly interconnected, spanning oil and natural gas, geothermal energy, critical minerals, coal, nuclear power, and electricity generation, transmission, and distribution. As the sector expands and modernizes, workforce demands are shifting just as quickly.

A coordinated sector strategy approach offers a powerful framework for strengthening workforce development systems and improving employment outcomes across states and regions. By aligning employers, education and training providers, labor organizations, and workforce agencies, sector partnerships help build the skilled talent pipeline needed to sustain and grow a resilient energy workforce.
 

AIR’s Role in Advancing Energy Sector Strategies

AIR is partnering with the Office of Energy Jobs at the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to drive the adoption of sector strategies and support the development of a national energy workforce strategy. This one‑year federal initiative is funded by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and focuses on building the capacity of energy workforce systems nationwide.

Through this work, AIR brings deep experience in labor market research, sector partnerships, and workforce system design to help DOE and its partners respond to emerging workforce challenges across energy sub‑sectors.
 

Driving the Adoption of Sector Strategies

AIR is advancing energy sector strategies through a comprehensive set of research, engagement, and capacity‑building activities, including:

• Analyzing national energy workforce trends and sector‑based approaches across key energy sub‑sectors;
   
• Convening stakeholder listening sessions to validate findings and identify opportunities to strengthen sector partnerships;
   
• Developing a practical “how‑to” guide for the energy industry, building on AIR’s work with the U.S. Department of Labor’s Employment and Training Administration—including the Sector Strategies Framework and Sector Strategies Framework Implementation Guide;
   
• Documenting and disseminating promising practice case studies to support the expansion of sector strategies across all energy sub‑sectors; and
   
• Providing national training and technical assistance for DOE program offices, national laboratories, states, energy intermediaries, and workforce professionals.

Together, these efforts are designed to move sector strategies from concept to implementation—supporting more coordinated, employer‑aligned workforce systems across the energy economy.
 

Building a Comprehensive National Energy Workforce Strategy

In parallel, AIR is supporting DOE in the development of a comprehensive Energy Workforce Strategy to ensure a highly skilled workforce is available to support the Department’s growing investments in energy technologies and infrastructure.

This strategy addresses the pace of technological change, emerging skill requirements, and the need for more adaptive workforce development systems that can respond to evolving industry demands.