As they explore job listings, someone sees "Solar Installer" and imagines spending all day on a roof in the sun. What they might not know is that the job also encompasses electrical systems training, safety certifications, blueprint reading and customer consultations. And consider HVAC technician jobs; increasingly, these roles involve installing smart technology and energy-efficient systems both residentially and commercially. Today’s reality of clean energy careers is richer and more complex than most people expect. At SkillUp, we know that if individuals skilled through alternative routes (STARs) can't see themselves in these roles, we risk stalling momentum toward the sustainable energy transition.
Our data tells us something has been shifting. Since June 2025, engagement with Skilled Trades training on our platform has surged from 19% of users to 41%, more than doubling in just seven months. Solar Installer has emerged as the third most-set career goal. Among our users ages 18-24, half of all training engagement is with Skilled Trades programs. STARs are choosing hands-on careers that can't be automated and clean energy sits right at the center of that momentum.
That's one of the many reasons why we partnered with TradesForce to expand our digital catalogs to elevate these careers to our users and to support the cultural activation to connect STARs to clean energy opportunities hiding in plain sight.
Tech Meets Cultural Movement
TradesForce builds cultural movements that make clean energy careers visible, aspirational and accessible to communities that traditional hiring systems overlook. SkillUp serves as the tech and career navigation partner.
"SkillUp's platform gives workers the roadmap to clean energy careers, all the way from career exploration to the actual job postings," says Jon van Gelder, Executive Director at TradesForce. "But reaching STARs who've been told these careers aren't for them requires more than technology. It also requires showing up in communities, telling authentic stories and proving that clean energy jobs are for people without degrees. That's what SkillUp and TradesForce are doing together."
Our expanded platform powers TradesForce’s efforts to bring greater career visibility to STARs with more than 2,300 training programs identified as advanced and clean energy-aligned and approximately 1,100 active clean energy job postings. Additionally, within our Clean Energy Hub, we've organized 19 aligned careers into pathways that show STARs exactly what training they need, what jobs are available and what these roles pay on average. As always, these industry-specific careers — like water treatment operator, wind turbine technician, carpenter, solar installer and more — are fully aligned with our quality standards, which include living wage requirements and regional demand signals.
TradesForce takes those digital pathways and activates them through cultural events, storytelling campaigns and community partnerships that reach workers not just online, but in-person in neighborhoods and gathering places where career decisions get made.
Why Clean Energy Now
"Clean energy careers represent one of the clearest examples of where STARs can find economic mobility and job security in an AI-augmented world," says Steve Lee, CEO of SkillUp. "These are hands-on roles that require problem-solving, technical skill and human judgment. It’s the exact type of work that remains valuable as automation advances. Our partnership with TradesForce ensures STARs can both access these pathways and see themselves thriving in them."
Our data emphasizes this. STARs are gravitating toward hands-on work that can't be automated, essential infrastructure skills with long-term demand and wages that support families without degree debt. Clean energy roles deliver all of that while also offering the chance to build sustainable infrastructure that gives these jobs deeper purpose and meaning.
We've also integrated immersive exploration tools through CareerViewXR, allowing users to interact with roles like HVAC technician, electrician, carpenter, sheet metal worker, welder and construction project manager before they commit to training. For clean energy careers specifically, this preview helps demystify what the work involves and builds confidence that these jobs are within reach.
What’s Next
On March 18, we will host a webinar — Opening the Door to Clean Energy Careers for Workers Without Degrees — to explore how philanthropy, workforce innovation and mission-driven technology align to build inclusive talent pipelines. Lee and van Gelder will be joined by leaders from Invest in Our Future and Clean Power Institute to discuss how partnerships create real economic mobility, why clean energy skills remain relevant as AI reshapes work and how intentional cultural activations accelerate access to opportunity.
Want to learn how policy, technology and cultural activation can build a clean energy workforce that works for everyone? Register for the webinar.
The clean energy transition needs people now. Together with TradesForce, we will ensure STARs can see themselves in these careers, access the training they need and build futures that power their communities and a more sustainable world.
Explore clean energy career pathways at skillup.org/clean-energy.
