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The UMass Amherst Partnership for Worker Education (PWE) has received a $250,000 grant from the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center (MassCEC) to expand its Community Works pre-apprenticeship program. The funding will support workforce training in construction and transportation while adding a focus on climate-critical occupations in western Massachusetts.

“This opportunity allows us to enhance our pre-apprenticeship programming with a clean energy focus,” said Jacob Carter, PWE director. “It also enables our Community Works program to align curriculum and skills development with the Commonwealth’s ambitious clean energy vision across the four counties of Western Massachusetts.”

“Community Works serves everyday people in the four counties of Western Massachusetts who want to make a career in the building trades,” said Jeff Napolitano, senior project director for PWE. “This new funding from MassCEC expands the training and opportunities for our graduates, making our free program even more valuable and accessible.”

The award is part of a broader $27 million investment from the Healey-Driscoll administration to strengthen Massachusetts’s clean energy and climate tech workforce. Across the state, 67 organizations will use the funding to train more than 13,000 residents for in-demand careers, provide hands-on experience and support underrepresented businesses in the clean energy sector.

In the initial grant announcement in November, Gov. Maura Healey highlighted the importance of the initiative, noting that the funding equips thousands of residents with the skills and opportunities needed for good-paying careers in growing industries, while Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll emphasized how programs like these create clear pathways to meaningful work that strengthen communities and the state economy.

More information about Community Works can be found on the PWE website.