Youth Climate Service Corps

The Climate Service Corps is a collaboration with the YouthWorks program at MassHire Franklin Hampshire. This 18-week program is a career exploration in the building sciences including strands in HVAC, Sustainability and Environmental Conservation, Weatherization and Clean Energy Administration and Policy. In order to support success, participants will be provided with personal protective equipment, tools, lunches on campus as well as paid career readiness training and supportive services to help alleviate barriers to employment. All participants in this course must be co-enrolled in the Youthworks program through MassHire Franklin Hampshire.

This course includes training for the following certifications: OSHA-10, Building Science Principles, and NATE Ready-to-Work. Your days will include career awareness activities, field trips, service learning activities, job readiness preparation through the Signal Success curriculum and an internship. You will also meet weekly with your Youthworks Counselor during your internship to discuss successes and challenges at your internship and in the job search

Classes run in-person Monday and Wednesday 11 a.m.–4 p.m. with additional field trip and work hours.

The Climate Service Corps program is delivered through a partnership between Greenfield Community College, MassHire Franklin Hampshire, the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center and area employers to develop and implement new training programs to meet the growing need for a clean energy workforce and is available at no cost to eligible participants.

Made possible by funding from The Commonwealth Corporations Youthworks Grant and the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center (MassCEC), a state economic development agency dedicated to accelerating the growth of the clean energy sector across the Commonwealth to spur job creation, deliver statewide environmental benefits and to secure long-term economic growth for the people of Massachusetts. MassCEC works to increase the adoption of clean energy while driving down costs and delivering financial, environmental, and economic development benefits to energy users and utility customers across the state.

MassHire Franklin Hampshire Career Center (or MassHire Franklin Hampshire Workforce Board) Programs & Services are funded in part by U.S. Department of Labor (U.S. DOL) Employment and Training Administration (ETA) grants. Additional details available upon request.

If you are unsure whether or not you are eligible for the program, please contact us at yap@masshirefhcareers.org and we can help you determine if you qualify!

Participants must:

• be 18-24 years old at time of enrollment
• reside in Franklin County, Hampshire County or the North Quabbin
• have a family income under 200% of the Federal Poverty Level
• face one of the following risk factors identified by the Commonwealth Corporation:
  • identify as LGBTQ+
  • be a Person of Color
  • come from a single income household
  • currently experiencing housing insecurity
  • identify as having a disability
  • have had or are currently involved with the criminal justice system
  • currently in or aged-out of the foster care system
  • be a school stop-out
  • be the child of a single parent
  • have limited English language fluency
  • be a parent

Students who complete this program can gain employment or continue into trade-specific training programs.

Participants in our Climate Service Corps program may earn the following industry-recognized credentials:

• OSHA-10 Certificate
• NATE Ready-to-Work Certificate
• Building Science Principles Certificate