These AmeriCorps Members Launched Careers in the Home Energy Sector

AmeriCorps is all about serving your community – but it’s also a great opportunity to try a new field and launch your career! 

Serving with Climate Impact Corps provides the opportunity to gain real world experience and build news skills while making a difference. Some have even been hired to work full-time at their service sites! 

Some Climate Impact Corps members are trained to perform energy audits on homes that qualify for Minnesota’s Weatherization Assistance Program. Not only do these audits improve the efficiency of homes, but they also save energy and often decrease homeowners’ monthly cost of energy. Given that some Minnesota households spend as much as 30 percent of their income on energy, these AmeriCorps members make an incredible impact! In the 2021-2022 term, members served over 1,200 households. 

Members have the opportunity to earn a three-part building analyst certification. With Climate Impact Corps’ support, they receive training for the exams and take them at no cost. 

Jaylee: Tri-County Community Action Partnership

Community service runs in Jaylee’s family. After learning about the AmeriCorps position from her mom, Jaylee applied so she could start serving others too. Originally planning to pursue a career in law enforcement, Jaylee didn’t have any experience in the home energy field when she started. But that was no worry!

Thanks to the support from Climate Impact Corps and her service site, she earned Building Analyst certification at no cost. Now she is on track to start working as an Energy Auditor at her service site when she finishes serving in July 2023. 

“I got to spend the last eight or nine months getting experience. I would ride along with the auditors and observe. Then they would teach me how to set up the equipment and use it. By the end, I was leading audits and doing my best, and they would assist me along the way. By the time I got my certification, I felt confident I would be able to do what they do.” 

Gerilyn: Mahube-Otwa Community Action Partnership 

Gerilyn found Climate Impact Corps during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown. They were searching for a job online and found an AmeriCorps position right in their community. With some prior training in solar energy and work experience in construction, Climate Impact Corps was perfect for her! 

A few months into their service term in 2021-2022, the Home Energy Initiative’s first year, the employee Gerilyn shadowed asked if they would be interested in continuing as a full-time employee. They happily accepted the offer and began working as a Weatherization Auditor and Inspector a few months after her service term ended. 

In March of 2023, Climate Impact Corps staff asked Gerilyn to speak at the Aspen Ideas Climate Summit in Miami Beach, Florida. She told thousands of people about her experience in the Home Energy Initiative, how it prepared her for a full-time career, and how she’s helping advance climate justice in her community. 

“It was really cool. It was great meeting a lot of people. I’d do it again if I could.”

There are still home energy positions with Climate Impact Corps available in Minnesota! Visit Ampact.US/home-energy to learn more. Apply by October 4 to begin in late October!