With Alaska experiencing more than a decade of net outmigration and record high levels of nonresident workers, we must invest in our state’s homegrown workforce. This need is especially acute in the clean energy sector, where the ripple effects of an insufficient workforce are felt across industries and communities in the form of high energy costs, unreliable service, and environmental impacts.

REAP’s Program Manager for the Alaska Network for Energy Education and Employment, Jenny Starrs, has been hard at work developing a report on Alaska’s clean energy workforce dynamics titled, “Powering Alaska’s Future: Opportunity Analysis of Clean Energy Workforce Challenges and Potential Solutions.” It builds on REAP’s “Gap Analysis of Alaska’s Clean Energy Education and Training Opportunities” (McConnell, 2019), to identify shared challenges and potential solutions to developing the state’s clean energy workforce. Drawing from more than 40 informational interviews across the energy sector, this update covers career and technical education, training, technical assistance, and professional development for new and incumbent clean energy workers. By highlighting potential opportunities for growth and providing examples, this report will provide actionable methods and models for a wide range of entities in Alaska and an updated guide for REAP’s own workforce development activities.

REAP is excited to unveil this report this spring. And in anticipation of that release, we were thrilled to host the third installment in REAP’s 2026 Spring Energy Speaker Series on that very topic. “Lighting the Way: Alaska’s Clean Energy Workforce Opportunities” featured an in-depth conversation with Alaska workforce experts about the opportunities for further developing Alaska’s clean energy workforce. This webinar recording offers the opportunity to learn about the dynamics shaping the future of Alaska’s workforce. We hope you enjoy the recording and share it with folks you know who are interested in this topic!

Event Details

Who: This free event was open to the public.

What: An in-depth conversation with Alaska workforce experts about career opportunities in Alaska’s clean energy sector.

Where: This event was broadcast live as a Zoom webinar (watch the recording here)

When: This free public event was held from Noon to 1:00pm on Wednesday, May 6, 2026.

Email REAP’s Outreach Director, Donovan Russoniello, at drussoniello@realaska.org with any questions.