EIF Catalyst Request for Startups Series: Rapid Reskilling for Green-Economy Trades

The Inflation Reduction Act is projected to create 9 million jobs over the next decade—but we don't have the workers to fill them.

The numbers are staggering. The solar industry needs 250,000 additional workers by 2033. EV charging infrastructure requires over 100,000 new technicians by 2030. Heat pump installations, grid modernization, and battery manufacturing are all scaling faster than training pipelines can keep up. This isn't a future problem—projects are stalling right now because employers can't find qualified workers.

The bottleneck isn't demand; it's supply. Traditional pathways—four-year degrees, two-year apprenticeships—take too long and cost too much. And the workers who stand to benefit most from these middle-income, future-proof careers face the steepest barriers: upfront tuition costs, inflexible schedules that don't accommodate existing jobs, and programs disconnected from actual placement. Community colleges are trying to spin up new programs, but they're constrained by outdated curriculum approval processes and equipment they can't afford.

We're looking for startups that can train, certify, and place workers in months, not years. Compressed, modular programs that deliver industry-recognized credentials quickly. Simulations that provide hands-on practice without requiring expensive equipment or dedicated lab space. Paid apprenticeships and earn-while-you-learn models that let workers maintain income during training. Credentialing pathways tied directly to employer hiring demand, state incentive programs, or union agreements. Wraparound support services—childcare, transportation, financial coaching—that address the real reasons workers drop out. AI-powered career navigation matching learners to the highest-ROI green jobs and fastest training pathways. Cross-training programs for seasonal or multi-trade work, like solar installers who can also do HVAC.

Through our work with portfolio companies like Interplay Learning (VR simulation for skilled trades) and New Apprenticeship (tech apprenticeship consortiums), we've developed deep expertise in workforce training models and the funding mechanisms that support them—Workforce Pell, WIOA, employer tuition structures. We can help founders understand what's actually required to work with community colleges, navigate state approval processes, and build programs that qualify for public funding streams.

Applications for EIF Catalyst's next cohort are open. If you've got early traction and are ready to build a repeatable go-to-market motion, let’s talk.

We're looking for U.S.-based founders focused on postsecondary and career outcomes, with in-market traction (often $100K–$1M ARR, with flexibility for sectors with longer sales cycles), and a founder-led sales motion ready to scale.

Working on something outside these RFS themes? Apply anyway—these prompts are meant to spark ideas, not limit them. Know a founder who should apply? Send them the link.