In East Oakland, a workforce center is training the next generation of clean energy professionals
California needs skilled contractors to install heat pumps and meet its heat pump and climate targets.
If you walk into the 80,000-square-foot Cypress Mandela Training Center on a weekday morning in East Oakland, you’ll find 50 to 60 trade apprentices deep in classroom lessons and hands-on training demonstrations. They’re learning how to install clean energy appliances like heat pumps, conduct energy audits, and build a thriving career in an industry on the precipice of a new era––all in their own backyard.
Nearly all of the apprentices in this workforce training program are local to the Bay Area, and some have been formerly incarcerated or unhoused. For all of the trainees, Cypress Mandela’s trainings offer both personal transformation and historical significance: stepping up as skilled tradespeople at the exact moment California needs them to usher in our clean energy future.
A training program that meets increasing demand
The twelve-week program is a partnership between Revalue.io, an Oakland-based energy efficiency project developer, and Cypress Mandela Training Center, an institution that has been offering pre-apprenticeship programs to local communities since 1989. Together, they use the Multi-Craft Core (MC3) curriculum, which introduces apprentices to all construction trades, with a strong emphasis on electrification: heat pumps for space and water heating, electric panels, and more.
Critically, the end-to-end program doesn’t stop at technical skills. Apprentices practice mock interviews, build relationships with professional contractors, and learn soft skills to help them land jobs with employers after they finish. Three contracting companies that partnered Revalue.io on the first trainings back in 2022 are still partners today, which is evidence of the strong pipeline the program has built to make sure apprentices are walking into a labor market where their training is already recognized and trusted.
Mark Hall, founder of Revalue.io, said, “We first start and make sure students understand the landscape [of] switching [to clean energy], and then we connect them with local contractors that are doing the work so that they can connect their in-class learning to actual field experience. And all of that is centered around heat pumps and electrification.”
And indeed, Revalue.io’s portfolio reflects that commitment: their projects have led to an average 40% reduction in home energy use, concentrated right in Oakland.
Open doors, by design
Communities surrounding Cypress Mandela have historically been underserved and long borne the brunt of air pollution that results from gas-powered appliances and industrial pollution. As such, these communities must be first in line for the stable, high-paying jobs the clean energy transition will create.
What makes this program particularly special is that anyone can walk in and apply, regardless of their background or employment history. That’s not a small thing in a workforce training landscape that has historically held high barriers to entry, like cost, transportation, and housing.
Travis Watts, Program Manager at Cypress Mandela, has been central to making that vision a reality on the ground. “The target audience has been those historically marginalized. We always do an intake process [to find out] who we’re serving and why they’re coming to Cypress. Someone coming through this program with no experience leaves with a very strong resume that is impressive to the industry.”
Preparing for California’s all-electric future
Buildings still account for a quarter of greenhouse gas emissions in California. To tackle this, the state has set an ambitious target of 6 million heat pumps installed by 2030, and there are a number of initiatives in place to help achieve this. Starting in 2027, the Bay Area Air Quality Management District is set to phase in healthy air standards requiring highly efficient heat pumps starting in 2027. California’s 2025 Energy Code, which went into effect in January, now encourages heat pumps for space and water heating statewide.
This market momentum will create an enormous demand for skilled contractors who know how to install these appliances, which we’re already starting to see. This program aims to fill that gap and help ensure that these high-road jobs and economic opportunities are reaching the communities that need them most.
“I love this program [and] seeing the results of what it does,” said Watts.
Support from widespread industry partners
This program runs on a network of industry partners who have dedicated their time and resources to its mission, including Pacific Gas & Electric Company (PG&E), Ava Community Energy, LG, Daikin, and A.O. Smith. Manufacturers provide the equipment so that apprentices can train on the exact systems they’ll be installing in the field. Working with these partners to stay up-to-date on current initiatives, such as PG&E’s electrification initiative, also helps ensure the curriculum is aligned with what employers actually need.
What’s next
For the apprentices currently moving through the program, graduation will mean joining an industry with strong wage growth, long-term stability, and a place in the state’s clean energy future.
If you or someone you know in the Bay Area is interested in joining the next generation of the clean energy workforce, you can attend Cypress Mandela’s next orientation on July 2, 2026, starting at 9 AM at the training center. You must bring a set of personal documents to the orientation, where you will be scheduled for an interview and physical agility test.
The next training program starts in August and runs for sixteen weeks, Monday to Friday from 6:45am to 3:30pm. All information is available on the Cypress Mandela website.
