EV Charger Service Training Program Lead Partner (WIL Collaborator)

About the Workforce Intelligence Lab (WIL)

The Workforce Intelligence Lab (WIL) is an applied workforce research initiative. WIL builds methodology-transparent workforce intelligence, including labor demand signals, occupational and credential pathways, and training-to-employment outcome measures, and works with education, employer, and labor partners to turn that evidence into grant and sponsored-project collaborations. Learn more: https://wilinstitute.org

WIL is assembling a California team to respond to the California Energy Commission's Charger Service Skills Accelerator grant solicitation (GFO-26-601). The solicitation funds training that leads to portable, industry-recognized credentials for servicing electric vehicle (EV) charging equipment: installation, commissioning, verification and testing, maintenance, repair, technical support, and decommissioning.

Funded projects must provide training, collaborate with worker, employer, and educational provider partners, and offer a clear path from training to quality jobs.

Opportunity type: this is a contingent proposal opportunity for California-based organizations in WIL's collaborator network, not a funded vacancy. Applications to the CEC are due October 30, 2026; awards are competitive and none has been made. Organizational participation would be set out in the application and, if funded, in the grant agreement and any subaward. If an award proceeds and the staffing model calls for it, WIL may also offer full-time employment or a project-based contract engagement to individuals.

There is no guaranteed work or funding. We will ask before naming your organization or any individual in a proposal, and letters are requested only with your organization's agreement.

WIL is seeking a California community college, electricians' joint apprenticeship and training committee (JATC), or other established California training provider to serve as the lead applicant for this proposal, with WIL supporting the project as a subrecipient partner.

What you'll do

• Serve as the lead applicant (or consortium lead) and submit the GFO-26-601 application through the CEC's ECAMS portal, with WIL as a subrecipient partner
• Deliver EV charger service training through an established program (registered apprenticeship, career technical education, certificate, or similar), or expand an existing program to at least one cohort during the project term
• Provide instructors with trade work experience, industry certifications, or journeyman status, plus labs and tools for hands-on training that includes electrical safety practices such as lockout/tagout
• Offer training that leads to portable, industry-recognized credentials, such as EVITP certification or California Department of Industrial Relations electrician certification
• Convene the required project partners (at least one Worker Voice Representative, one Employer, and one Educational Provider) and collect their letters of commitment
• Own the scope of work, schedule, budget, and the required 25 percent match share (cash or in-kind), with WIL drafting support
• Work with WIL on the career pathway and job placement strategy, and on tracking completion, credential, and employment outcomes for CEC reporting
• Apply to be considered.

Requirements

• Required
• A California community college, JATC or registered apprenticeship program, or other California organization eligible to apply under GFO-26-601 (K-12 local educational agencies and investor-owned utilities are not eligible)
• An established training program with qualified instructors and hands-on lab capacity in electrical or EV charging equipment work
• Authority and capacity to act as applicant: register in ECAMS, own the budget and scope, document the 25 percent match share, and commit before the October 30, 2026 deadline
• Nice to have
• Existing EV charging curriculum, EVITP-aligned instruction, IBEW-NECA apprenticeship, or charger manufacturer training relationships
• Prior CEC, California Workforce Development Board, or Employment Training Panel training grant experience
• Institutional or program accreditation from a recognized accrediting body