R10023 Undergraduate/Graduate (Year-Round) Intern - Researcher, Wind Energy Workforce Development
Working at NREL
NREL’s 305-acre Flatirons Campus is the nation’s premier wind energy, water power, and grid integration research facility. Nestled south of Boulder, Colorado, and north of NREL’s main South Table Mountain campus, Flatirons sits adjacent to the Rocky Flats National Wildlife Refuge and countless acres of open space and parks with stunning views of the Flatirons rock formations. From day one at NREL, you’ll connect with coworkers driven by the same mission to save the planet. By joining an organization that values a supportive, inclusive, and flexible work environment, you’ll have the opportunity to engage through our eight employee resource groups, numerous employee-driven clubs, and learning and professional development classes.
NREL supports inclusive, diverse, and unbiased hiring practices that promote creativity and innovation. By collaborating with organizations that focus on diverse talent pools, reaching out to underrepresented demographics, and providing an inclusive application and interview process, our Talent Acquisition team aims to hear all voices equally. We strive to attract a highly diverse workforce and create a culture where every employee feels welcomed and respected and they can be their authentic selves.
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Note: Research suggests that potential job seekers may self-select out of opportunities if they don't meet 100% of the job requirements. We encourage anyone who is interested in this opportunity to apply. We seek dedicated people who believe they have the skills and ambition to succeed at NREL to apply for this role.
Job Description
The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), located at the foothills of the Rocky Mountains in Golden, Colorado is the nation’s primary laboratory for research, development, and deployment of renewable energy and energy efficiency technologies. NREL emphasizes a well-integrated, interdisciplinary team approach to addressing the unique, fundamental research challenges for developing market-relevant, renewable energy technologies.
The workforce development research portfolio at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) is seeking an undergraduate or graduate intern with experience in workforce development, labor economics, policy, economic development, or community engagement work. The intern will work on a team who analyze workforce needs, identify education and training programs, and evaluate pathways to meet workforce development goals.
This position will work with the internal team supporting a variety of customers including the US Department of Energy Wind Energy Technologies Office. They may also work collaboratively with other National Laboratories and industry partners. The minimum appointment duration is six months, but the position can be extended.
More specifically, the successful candidate will support several projects including collecting workforce data by surveying and interviewing employers, education programs, and students interested in wind employment and those employed in the wind industry and contributing to original research, analysis, and written publications and sharing information within and outside of NREL. Additionally, candidates will evaluate roles and pathways to develop the wind energy workforce. Candidates should be interested in learning more about renewable energy jobs, social science research, wind energy deployment, and working in an interdisciplinary field. They will also apply expertise and learnings to novel approaches that map workforce development and various stages of the research, development, demonstration, and deployment process across NREL. Typical tasks may include:
- Develop occupational career and skills maps to increase detail and standardization for the land-based and offshore wind job roles.
- Assess the role of internships and apprenticeships in providing experience and hands-on-training.
- Support efforts to increase diversity, equity, and inclusion workforce data and best practices.
- Contribute to the wind workforce research space by collecting and disseminating workforce datasets.
Basic Qualifications
Must be enrolled as a full-time student in a Bachelor's, Master's or PhD degree program, or graduated in the past 12 months from an accredited institution. Internship period cannot exceed 12 months past graduation. Minimum of a 3.0 cumulative grade point average.
Please Note:
•You will need to upload official or unofficial school transcripts as part of the application process.
•If selected for position, a letter of recommendation will be required as part of the hiring process.
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Additional Required Qualifications
- Strong interest in labor economics, energy equity or energy justice, social science research, wind energy deployment, and working in an interdisciplinary field.
- Demonstrated desire to contribute to the literature on economic impacts, workforce needs, and energy equity in the clean energy transition.
Preferred Qualifications
- Prior experience applying research as well as scientific methods or frameworks for assessing workforce demand and supply.
- Familiarity with wind energy technology and community considerations.
- Strong writing and research skills.