Berkshire Climate Career Lab Opens Pathways to Climate Careers

NORTH ADAMS — As communities across the Berkshires invest in clean energy and resilient infrastructure to prepare for a changing climate, a critical question looms: Who will carry this work forward in the decades ahead? This question is increasingly urgent as Berkshire County and the Commonwealth face significant workforce challenges driven by population decline and the continued outmigration of young people.

A new two-year fellowship is empowering Northern Berkshire County high school students to become part of the solution in our local community.

 Funded by the Mass. Clean Energy Center and in partnership with Berkshire Regional Planning Commission and local organizations, Ethos Pathways launched the inaugural Berkshire Climate Career Lab this month. The pilot convenes students from across Northern Berkshire County for a two-year paid fellowship combining climate and environmental education, leadership development, and career exploration.

 The program kicked off with an immersive introduction to climate challenges, leaders, and careers currently found in the Berkshires. Fellows traveled along Route 2 for a day of field work and explored the Hoosic River and local flood resilience efforts with Hoosic River Revival, examined environmental justice in North Adams, and stepped inside active construction projects to learn how major institutions are approaching sustainability and adoption of renewable energy.

At the new Greylock Elementary School, students toured the construction site and learned about the geothermal systems being incorporated into the building. North Adams Mayor Jennifer Macksey, who joined students for the visit, reflected, “It was a great experience to have the Greylock School team engage with young, aspiring professionals who share an interest in advancing climate-conscious energy solutions, especially when those solutions are being developed and implemented right here in our own community.”

Fellows also visited the construction site of the new Williams College Museum of Art (WCMA), meeting professionals involved in projects that offered a window into careers ranging from architecture and engineering to construction and sustainability. In addition, students learned how locally owned businesses, such as Berkshire East, are using renewable energy to invest in their operations as they toured their wind turbine and solar farm up close.

Over the next two years, fellows will continue to build upon this foundation and apply what they have learned through their own Youth Action Project funded by a participatory action microgrant.

The Climate Career Lab is designed to expand access to career opportunities for young people from environmental justice and historically underserved communities, creating pathways into a growing climate economy while helping strengthen the region’s future workforce. “Our goal isn’t simply to tell young people that climate careers exist,” said Lani Willmar, founder & CEO of Ethos Pathways. “We want them to see those careers in action and meet the people doing this work locally in the Berkshires. Most importantly, we want students to see themselves as part of the area’s future.”i Willmar, founder & CEO of Ethos Pathways. “We want them to see those careers in action and meet the people doing this work locally in the Berkshires. Most importantly, we want students to see themselves as part of the area’s future.”