The Daily Current: Workforce · Week of 11 October 2026

Status: Selected for negotiation

The U.S. Department of Energy announced its PACT workforce training selections on 15 October 2026. DOE selected eight projects, with about $11.1 million proposed for hands on energy training. As reported in the announcement, about $8.8 million is allocated across six projects supported by the Hydrocarbons and Geothermal Energy Office, and about $2.3 million is proposed for two Tribal colleges.

The projects are intended to support practical training and credentials for energy sector roles. The two parts of the reported funding split identify distinct settings for that work: geothermal training tracks and programs at Tribal colleges. The selections are for negotiation, not completed awards.
Source: U.S. Department of Energy | Oct 15, 2026.

DOE’s announcement describes eight projects selected to negotiate support through the Partnerships for Academic Industry Career Training initiative. The reported amounts show where the proposed training support is concentrated: six HGEO projects and two Tribal college projects.

The focus is hands on learning connected to energy work. That makes the announcement relevant to people seeking practical training, institutions building programs, and employers looking for workers with job related skills.

The amounts are not final award amounts. They can change during negotiation. DOE had not announced project timelines or details about the first training cohorts in the 15 October announcement.

The announcement as reported does not state a participation breakdown for women. No claim about women’s enrollment or representation is made here.

The funding split offers a clear view of the near term locations for hands on training capacity: geothermal training tracks and Tribal college programs. Training dollars can support people as they build practical skills, while institutions and employers shape programs around the work available in their communities.

The announcement does not establish how many people will train or what roles graduates will enter. It does show that public support is being directed toward specific training settings. The next useful details will be how the negotiated projects are structured, when they begin, and what skills each program will teach.

Status: 2023 framework estimate, not a new announcement

The World Economic Forum and PwC’s 2023 skills first framework estimated that a skills first approach could add more than 100 million people to the global talent pool across 18 economies. This is an earlier estimate, not a new development from 11 to 17 October 2026.
Source: World Economic Forum and PwC | 2023 estimate.

The estimate describes the potential talent pool that could become more visible to employers if hiring practices gave greater weight to demonstrated skills. In plain terms, a skills first approach looks at what a person can do, rather than relying mainly on degrees, job titles, or employment history.

The framework considers 18 economies. Its estimate points to people whose skills may be underused or overlooked in existing labor markets. It offers a way to think about how training and hiring practices can work together: learning builds or strengthens skills, and hiring processes need to recognize them.

The figure is a modeled estimate, not a count of actual hires. It does not mean that more than 100 million people entered jobs, and it does not measure climate jobs alone. The estimate also does not show how many people would be matched to particular roles or how quickly employers might change their hiring practices.

The framework summary does not state a participation breakdown for women. No claim about women’s share of the estimated talent pool is made here.

Skills first hiring is the practice layer beneath workforce training. A program can help people gain knowledge and experience, but employers also need ways to recognize those capabilities when reviewing applicants. The 2023 estimate communicates the possible scale of wider skills recognition, while leaving the outcomes dependent on how organizations put that approach into practice.

For people moving between sectors or returning to work, clear descriptions of skills can help connect past experience with new roles. For employers, defining the abilities a role requires can make job criteria more direct. The estimate does not promise those outcomes, but it underscores why training and hiring practices belong in the same workforce conversation.

Status: Latest report edition

The latest U.S. Energy & Employment Report is the 2026 edition, covering employment in 2025. Its figures, along with current reporting on the report, show a decline in a broad category of renewables and related employment alongside continued shortages in construction, installation, and repair trades.
Source: U.S. Energy & Employment Report and E2 analysis | 2026 edition, covering 2025 employment.

E2’s analysis of the latest report data puts employment in its combined category covering renewables and related sectors at about 3.52 million jobs, down roughly 37,000 from the prior year. E2 described this as the first annual decline in that category since the pandemic. The DOE report puts median annual pay across the energy workforce at about $63,000, compared with about $51,000 economy wide.

Current reporting on the latest USEER also notes persistent shortages in construction, installation, and repair trades. These figures describe different parts of the workforce picture: employment changed in the combined category tracked by E2, while the pay comparison and reported shortages speak to broader energy workforce conditions.

The report does not attribute the employment decline to a single cause, and it does not project employment for the next year. The figures do not show that every energy sector or every location experienced the same change.

The summary carried in current reporting does not state a gender breakdown. No claim about women’s employment or representation is made here.

A reported employment decline alongside shortages in specific trades points to a workforce alignment challenge. The figures do not establish that demand is fading, or identify one explanation for the decline. They do show why employers, training providers, and workers need clear information about which skills are needed and where.

The wage comparison also gives people a useful point of reference when assessing energy roles, while the shortages highlight the importance of practical training pathways. The DOE announcement and the latest employment figures describe different parts of that challenge: one concerns proposed training support, while the other tracks employment and workforce conditions.

No other major workforce announcements surfaced in the window from 11 to 17 October 2026.

The DOE announcement and the 2023 skills first estimate do not state participation breakdowns. The USEER summary carried in current reporting does not state one either. Where women’s participation is not stated, it is not claimed.

The figures identify where training support is proposed and where workforce pressures are reported. Clear participation data would help people understand who has access to training and employment opportunities.

The week’s signals connect funding, skills recognition, and employment conditions. Together, they raise a practical question for employers and training providers: how can demonstrated skills connect more people with the roles that need them?

The Daily Current editions are collected at womenofclimate.org.

What changes when employers recognize demonstrated skills more consistently?