Hidden Image

SEAT Center

Albany County

Albany County highlighted on a map of New York State over a green and white bokeh dot background.
Read More Case Studies

Strategic Employer Partnerships Support a Unique Heat Pump and Energy Efficiency Training Program in New York’s Capital Region

With support from NYSERDA, the Social Enterprise and Training Center partners with Hudson Valley Community College and others to offer a different type of heat pump career-training program.

The Social Enterprise and Training Center (SEAT Center) partners with more than 16 local and regional employers, plus Hudson Valley Community College (HVCC), on a comprehensive workforce initiative. The initiative, which began in 2022, advances both technical and soft skills, internships, apprenticeships, and entry-level job placement for program participants.

The SEAT Center, which received funding from NYSERDA, has the resources to deliver technical training on heat pump technologies, including installation, to 100 participants. Eligible participants (trainees) reside in communities that New York State has defined as historically marginalized or disadvantaged or who meet NYSERDA’s criteria for priority populations.

Location:

Schenectady, NY

NYSERDA Program:

Workforce Development and Training

How It Begins: A Commitment from Employers

People seated around SEAT Center classroom and a presenter in front of a projector screen. People seated around SEAT Center classroom and a presenter in front of a projector screen.

Classroom experience at SEAT Center.

Prior to the heat pump training launch, the SEAT Center first secured an extensive list of employer partners. Employers agreed to mentor trainees, provide hands-on experiences that would reinforce classroom training, and provide industry specific guidance for various soft skills, such as interviewing, customer service, and sales.

Employers work closely with SEAT Center staff to create strategies that support trainees’ technical and soft-skill development. They give tours of their workplaces and provide internship sites for trainees, when possible.

The goal is to ensure that when trainees graduate, they are equipped with a full set of essential skills for internship/apprenticeship/job success and workplace retention.

“At SEAT Center, we believe in the power of hope coupled with real opportunity. This program would not be possible without the strong support of our employer partners- who are co-creating a path forward for young people ready to thrive in the clean energy sector. They are providing mentoring, on-the-job training, and understand their integral role in the emerging worker pipeline”

– Jennifer Lawrence, Founder/CEO, SEAT Center

Trainees seated around tables in a SEAT Center room. Trainees seated around tables in a SEAT Center room.

Technical employees share experiences with SEAT Center trainees.

SEAT Center: Tailored Support Equals Success

The SEAT Center’s commitment to serving the community is well demonstrated through tailored support to the individuals they train. For the heat pump training program, students receive technical assistance and in-service education focused on career opportunities in clean energy. Group sessions engage participants, educate them about program opportunities, and support them in taking stock of their individual skills and interests.

Another key to SEAT Center’s success is the holistic support that participants receive during the classes and after graduation. Following enrollment, staff members work with trainees to develop a case management plan to address barriers and empower them for the best chance of success.

For example, SEAT Center’s on-call nurse practitioner is available to provide primary care and connect workers directly to mental health providers to address needs that otherwise may keep a trainee or alumni from attending class, participating in their internship experience, or showing up for work.

Technical Training Overview

People around tables in a SEAT Center classroom.

SEAT Center’s heat pump training program, in coordination with its project partners, delivers technical training in the following areas and prepares students for clean energy careers:

As of Summer 2025, 46 participants completed training and have been placed into a paid internship, an apprenticeship, or a full-time job. SEAT Center and its roster of partners are poised to bring success to two more training classes of participants by the end of 2027.

“SEAT believes that it’s important to work with our young adults to remove any of the barriers that may present a challenge to successful employment”

– Jennifer Lawrence, Founder/CEO, SEAT Center

About SEAT Center

The Social Enterprise and Training (SEAT) Center is a nonprofit organization dedicated to transforming lives through education, workforce development, and social enterprise. SEAT Center equips young people and underrepresented individuals with the tools, training, and support needed to succeed in today’s economy— connecting the untapped potential of our emerging workforce with the needs of local employers, creating a dynamic bridge between talent and opportunity.

Learn more about how NYSERDA can fund your own clean energy training program.

Visit NYSERDA’s Workforce Development and Training program page, or email [email protected].