National Grid Clean Energy Careers Partnership

April 5, 2024

National Grid representatives recently visited campus for a Lunch and Learn session as part of the Clean Energy Careers Academy, a partnership through which National Grid provides Franklin Cummings Tech students with scholarships, mentoring, and professional development, as well as opportunities for internships and full-time jobs.

“Our goal with the Clean Energy Careers Academy is to offer an all-encompassing program,” said Dr. Nicholas Vance, Post Secondary Education Specialist & Strategic Initiatives Manager at National Grid, who noted that the partnership with Franklin Cummings Tech dates back to March 2022. “We’re trying to get students some engagement with National Grid beyond just a job fair so we can show them what we do and how we do it. It’s a new way of looking at workforce development.”

William Gomes, a junior in Franklin Cummings Tech’s Electrical Engineering bachelor’s degree program, said his participation in the 8-week Clean Energy Careers Academy program was an invaluable experience.

“The best part was the mentoring because my mentor had 25 years of experience in engineering, including electronics experience,” said Gomes, a Dorchester native. “He gave me insights into interviewing, writing a resume, and how to network with different people in the field.”

Gomes also received a National Grid Clean Energy Scholars Fund scholarship, which he said took a lot of financial pressure off him and his family: “It’s really helpful because my dad works two jobs to help me pay for everything. I work part-time as a security guard. Without this scholarship, there would be a lot more stress for my dad and me too.”

During the Lunch and Learn event, students heard from National Grid executives about careers in the company’s fleet operations and engineering units. The students also had a chance to check out one of the company’s electric vehicles, which the National Grid team drove into Franklin Cummings Tech’s on-campus Alternative Fuels Lab.

National Grid awarded a total of $100,000 in scholarships to Franklin Cummings Tech students during the 2023-2024 academic year through its Clean Energy Scholars Fund. The awards are directed to qualifying students pursuing engineering or craft and trades-related degrees and participating in National Grid’s Clean Energy Careers Academy. In all, the company awarded a total of $300,000 in scholarships this academic year to 94 students attending Franklin Cummings Tech, Northeastern University, and the University of Massachusetts, Boston (UMass Boston). Read National Grid’s press release about the scholarships.

Vance said the scholarships support students from historically underrepresented communities and close critical opportunity and employment gaps. “We want to make sure that no student has to decide whether to stay in school because of money,” he said. “We want to eliminate that worry.”

Several Franklin Cummings Tech students shared their stories of participating in the National Grid Clean Energy Careers Academy with NBC 10.