Join us for this informal lunchtime conversation to learn how you and your company can become involved with NESEA's efforts to support the next generation of building professionals. We’re designing two programs that will connect the emerging workforce to our network of practitioners through mentorship, job shadowing, project visits, and more. 

This event is for any member of our community who is interested in sharing their time and professional expertise in pursuit of these initiatives. During this meeting, you'll hear about the vision, structure, and goals of the two programs and specific ways you can be involved. Opportunities for businesses to engage range from a few hours - such as opening your job site for students to tour - to several months, including committing to being a formal mentor for an academic year. Please join us as we build a bench of NESEA community members to make these programs a reality.

The Programs

These initiatives will connect leading businesses and practitioners in high-performance building design, engineering, and construction with students who need the resources, connection, and knowledge of the NESEA community. The scale of the following programs will be determined by the funding NESEA is able to secure.

1. For High School & Voc/Tech Students

NESEA is partnering with TCMG (The Compliance Mentor Group) to create a year-long career exploratory program with high school and voc/tech students who may not have access to, equitable opportunities for, or knowledge of the types of careers available in the high-performance building sector.

Students will come from schools and programs that predominantly serve Environmental Justice communities (Minority, Low Income and English Isolation, including Benjamin Franklin Institute of Technology, Madison Park Technical Vocational High School, Somerville High School, Cambridge Rindge & Latin High School, Medford Vocational Technical High School, and the City of Cambridge’s Workforce Development Department. 

2. For Post-Secondary Students

NESEA is partnering with IREC (Interstate Renewable Energy Council) and  NEEP (Northeast Energy Efficiency Partnership) to develop a year-long fellowship for college students and individuals entering the workforce. This program will pair each fellow with a 1:1 mentor who is established in their field. Over the course of six months, we will bring the cohort of mentors and fellows together for a series of themed presentations, project site visits, and NESEA events. In between full-group days, we’ll guide mentors and fellows in 1:1 activities to keep in touch throughout the course of the program. 

Ways to Participate

The total time commitment depends on the role you’d like to take; as a practitioner, there will be multiple ways to participate in each  program. Ways you may be able to engage include:

• Offer a venue: We’re looking for active construction sites, completed projects, offices, manufacturing facilities, and other appropriate venues that could accommodate groups of varying sizes.

• Present on a topic: We’ll be looking for several people to speak about specific projects; a particular characteristic of high-performance design, engineer, and construction; or the career pathways and job opportunities available in the field.

• Be a mentor: Be willing to make a personal connection with one or more students.

• Join the Advisory Committee: Members of the advisory committees will participate in 2-4 Zoom meetings to help determine curriculum.  

If you have questions about this event, please contact Florence MacGregor, Program Director, at fmacgregor@nesea.org.