Launch Your Career in Clean Energy

FREE Training for the next generation of clean energy workers

No Cost Training +

Stipends for Participation

Career Tracks Available

Solar panel installation
Weatherization & Construction
Electric Vehicle Maintenance
CNC Advanced Manufacturing
Pre-apprenticeship

Step 1: Get a fresh start

You will put together goals and a career plan with staff in your chosen training track. The program staff will determine resources needed to eliminate participation barriers.

Click here to complete the Clean Energy (CEJA) Program Interest Form and receive a call within 48 hours.

 

Step 2: Learn the skills

You will complete a five-week employment skills course and then move on to job-specific training. From the first day of class to program completion, training lasts approximately 12 weeks total. 

Step 3: Accept a job

Once your training is complete, you will meet with employment staff and connect with businesses who are hiring in your chosen track.

Your New Chapter Starts Here!

In-person info sessions are held on each Wednesday at 3:00 p.m. at
The Workforce Connection, 303 N. Main Street, Rockford, Illinois.

What is CEJA?

CEJA stands for the Climate and Equitable Jobs Act. CEJA Northern Illinois offers FREE training to prepare workers for a career in good-paying clean energy jobs. It includes hands on training, stipends for attending class, employment readiness skills, and job placement assistance. These programs are funded by the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO), and supports Illinois’s goal of phasing out carbon emissions from the energy and transportation sectors.

Is CEJA Right for Me?

CEJA meets you where you’re at, with few barriers to entry. Sign up if:

    • You’re looking for a new career in a growing field
    • You want a good-paying job with room to grow
    • You want to expand (or start) your business into clean energy
    • You need employment connections and career guidance
    • You have barriers that make traditional training or employment difficult

How does this initiative benefit our region?

    • Target participants are minorities and from underserved populations, providing these groups with a boost to change their futures.
    • The program is free – even paying participants stipends for achievements – and only lasts approximately 12 weeks, getting more people trained and into the workforce quickly.
    • By diversifying the workforce’s skillset and types of industries in the region, we are creating a more resilient economy to weather downturns.
    • Supports a wide variety of interests: entrepreneurs, renewable energy adoption, skilled trades, career changes.

More questions?
Contact our program partner, Goodwill Industries of Northern Illinois, at
779-256-2607 or by email at ceja@goodwill.org 

The CEJA Workforce Programs are funded by the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) through the Climate and Equitable Jobs Act (CEJA).

These programs are being offered through a collaboration of the following program Partners:

LOGO for The Workforce Connection
LOGO for The Workforce Connection
LOGO for The Workforce Connection
Logo for Region 1 Planning Council

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Community Impact
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The Workforce Connection– an Illinois WorkNet Center and partner in the American Job Center network. This program is funded by The Workforce Connection, Inc., Il Department of Commerce & Economic Opportunity, and the U.S. Department of Labor. The Workforce Connection is an equal opportunity employer/program. Auxiliary aids and services are available upon request to individuals with disabilities. All voice telephone numbers on our website www.theworkforceconnection.org  may be reached by persons using TTY/TDD equipment by calling TTY (800) 526-0844 or 711. Contact the local Equal Opportunity Officer, Chris Oysti, at 815-395-6676. This program is subject to the provisions of the “Jobs for Veteran’s Act” Public Law 107-288, which provides priority of services to veterans and spouses of certain veterans. To view additional information related to the U.S. Department of Labor funding of this program, please visit www.theworkforceconnection.org/USDOLstatement.