Maine Governor Janet Mills has appointed Vaughan Woodruff, ReVision Energy's Vice President of Workforce Development, to lead the State Workforce Board and help steer Maine's efforts to grow a robust, diverse, and forward-thinking workforce. Vaughan has been a member of the State Workforce Board since 2021, and succeeds the current Board Chair, Guy Langevin.
Vaughan, who hails from Pittsfield, ME, has extensive experience in workforce development, and has worked in several states to support training and professional development initiatives at high schools, CTE programs, community colleges, labor unions, and companies like ReVision Energy. According to Governor Mills, Maine's Workforce Board "plays a critical role in our efforts to drive economic growth, address workforce challenges and create a strong, sustainable, and diverse economy. [Vaughan's] experience and skills will be an important asset as we strive to reach those goals."
In response to his nomination, Vaughan stated, "I'm humbled by the governor's appointment to this important role and look forward to serving the State Workforce Board in our efforts to help build, attract, and support the workers needed for Maine to thrive."
Vaughan has been at ReVision since early 2021, when we joined forces with Insource Renewables, a company he founded and led. He brought experience and innovation to ReVision as Director of the ReVision Energy Training Center (RETC), which manages apprenticeships, training, and professional development opportunities for our employee-owners.
Since 2018, RETC has grown from a single electrical apprenticeship to a sizable arm of our business, focusing on building a resilient, well-rounded workforce at ReVision and beyond. Currently, its main focuses are developing and managing registered apprenticeship programs, and collaborating with local organizations in our states to build accessible training and career opportunities for clean energy jobs.
This spring, RETC facilitated a pre-apprenticeship program with Portland Adult Education and Portland Arts and Technology High School. The program prepares multilingual adults to enter, or re-enter, the renewable energy industry as a viable career path.
The first pre-apprenticeship cohort successfully completed the program in June; three of the graduates have started at ReVision as Solar Installers in our Electrical Apprenticeship (pictured left), and one will be joining our Engineering team as a Solar Design Estimator. Other graduates have started renewable energy careers across Maine.
With Vaughan's increasing focus on workforce outside of ReVision, RETC has grown in size to accommodate its rapidly expanding scope. This summer, we welcomed Brie O'Malley as the new Director of RETC, and have added several employee-owners to the department as curriculum developers and apprenticeship coordinators. To better serve all areas of business development at ReVision, RETC is also in the process of launching four new apprenticeships that will be available to employee-owners in varying fields, including sales, solar design, and customer service.
The greatest threat to our fight against the climate crisis is a shortage of skilled workers, especially in key trades roles, such as electrician. Without robust training opportunities and accessible career pathways, we will not reach our climate goals.
This is true on a small scale, for companies like ReVision, whose ability to grow our solar mission is dependent on our workforce development efforts. It will also be true for the country as a whole, especially for states like Maine and New Hampshire, who face workforce obstacles due to their location older population.
"As the oldest state in the nation, Maine has a unique set of workforce challenges and opportunities," says Vaughan. He knows the programs designed to tackle ReVision's workforce problems can serve as a model for the entire state. "Our investment in apprenticeship, pre-apprenticeship, and ongoing professional development for our 400+ co-owners has helped inform the types of efforts that can support Maine's changing workforce."
As chair of the State Workforce Board, he will be well positioned to bring the ideas and processes behind these efforts to addressing Maine's workforce challenges and building collaborative, sustainable solutions. "Our experiences at ReVision have highlighted the importance of collaboration and opportunities to strengthen our service to our employees and the communities we serve."
