New Working Group Brings Together Clean Energy Employers
September 10, 2025
The clean energy sector in the Commonwealth is projected to grow 34% by 2030 according to the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center, demonstrating a critical need for investment in developing a prepared workforce. Clean energy encompasses industries that generate power with minimal to no environmental impact with jobs ranging from solar technician to mechanical engineer.
Over the past year, the Employer Engagement team has worked to organize a new Clean Energy Working Group to engage and support the hiring of high school interns in the clean energy sector. The PIC organizes other industry-specific groups, including financial services, technology, and healthcare. The Employer Engagement team used that model to connect employers and partners in the clean energy space.
National Grid interns tour the iconic “Rainbow Swash” LNG tank in Dorchester.
“There’s a clear need to develop a qualified workforce in clean energy,” says Josh Bruno, PIC Director of Employer Engagement. “By convening a Clean Energy Working Group, we are hoping to build upon the success of our other sector-specific convenings to collaborate and address the challenges in growing a clean energy workforce.”
The Clean Energy Working Group brings together employers, community partners, and educators to foster collaboration, encourage employers to hire high school interns and develop a workforce pipeline for clean energy. With funding provided through a Massachusetts Clean Energy Center planning grant, the working group first convened in January 2025. During the meetings, members share updates on the clean energy space and discuss the benefits and barriers of employing high school interns.
National Grid and Eversource, two established energy companies working to expand their clean energy footprint, participate in the working group. As experienced hosts of high school interns, both companies provide other group members with examples of successful programs and advice on how to start their own.
National Grid
With 7 PIC interns this summer, National Grid’s internship program offered ample opportunities for students to explore clean energy. “We are really committed to giving Boston students a chance to learn what roles exist in clean energy,” says Stephanie Chery-Winder, Secondary Education Specialist and Strategic Initiatives Manager. “We encourage interns to network with a wide range of professionals, from engineers to technicians and electricians. There’s a lot of potential avenues they can take.”
National Grid interns Tony Depina and Victor Galindo with Chima Anidobe, Principal Workforce Development Manager.
PIC interns at National Grid joined a cohort of students from across the Greater Boston area for a 4-week Summer Immersion Program. They explored careers in the gas, electric, and clean energy sectors by participating in site visits and hands-on training. Each intern took a deeper dive into a topic of their choice, presenting their capstone project at the end of the internship.
Khandker “Labib” Islam, a recent graduate of Dearborn STEM Academy, shares that interning at National Grid has brought him closer to his career goals. “I always wanted to learn more about electrical engineering, and hopefully one day become a distribution engineer for either Eversource or National Grid,” he says. “I think this internship is a great opportunity for me to explore my passion for engineering, network with more people, and expand my connections.”
Eversource
For Eversource, creating career exploration opportunities for high school students goes a long way towards developing future talent. “We have many full-time employees that once started as interns” says Wendy Edouard, Associate Consultant of Talent Acquisition. “We hope that Boston Public Schools students are able to get their foot in the door and return to the industry, whether that’s through us or elsewhere. Having a workforce representative of our Boston home really makes a difference.”
PIC interns Vu Do and Jason Jiang, recent graduates of the John D. O’Bryant School of Math & Science and East Boston High School respectively, joined the operations team at Eversource. For 6 weeks, they collaborated with local college interns to develop a troubleshooting guide that the operations team will use when on-call.
Eversource interns Vu Do and Jason Jiang with their supervisor, Tim Bailey.
Operations Supervisor Tim Bailey, once an Eversource intern himself, emphasizes the impact of the knowledge and experience gained during a summer internship. “The skills they gained here—professionalism, being on time, following up—they’re going to take with them in college, in other internships, and in future jobs,” he says. In the fall, Do will study computer engineering at UMass Boston and Jiang is heading to Wentworth Institute of Technology for an electrical certificate program.
In Summer 2025, 23 students interned at companies who participate in the Clean Energy Working Group. In addition to National Grid and Eversource, Clean Energy Working Group participants VHB and Cruz Companies also hosted PIC interns. In 2026, the goal is to grow both the number of student interns and participating employers. Moving forward, the group aims to foster a climate critical focus by centering the program around the responses to climate change.
For more information on the Clean Energy Working Group, please reach out to Josh Bruno, Director of Employer Engagement at josh.bruno@bostonpic.org.