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If you are looking to become certified as an Equity Eligible Person (EEP), click here.

Welcome to the Energy Workforce Equity Portal

For Employers

Connect to job seekers, REGISTER AS A CLEAN ENERGY COMPANY, AND post jobs

For Job Seekers

Connect to employers, explore jobs, and apply to become Equity Eligible Persons

About the Equity Portal

The Portal is an online source designed to help connect clean energy companies with Equity Eligible Persons looking to work in the clean energy sector in Illinois. Making these connections is a key aspect of ensuring that the clean energy industry in Illinois grows in an equitable manner.

Equity Eligible Persons can use the Portal to post their availability for employers and search for clean energy companies/job opportunities. Developers of clean energy projects such as Approved Vendors and Designees in the Illinois Shines Program (previously known as the Adjustable Block Program), or developers of utility-scale wind and solar projects, can use the Portal to post clean energy jobs and to search for Equity Eligible Persons. 

This Portal is administered by the Illinois Power Agency, the state agency that administers the Illinois Shines and Illinois Solar for All programs, and conducts competitive procurements to support the development of new utility-scale wind, utility-scale solar, and brownfield site solar projects.

Phase I of the portal was launched on January 31, 2023 and includes:

  • Information on qualifications and requirements for job seekers to become Equity Eligible Persons.
  • A form for applying to be certified as an Equity Eligible Person.
  • A listing of Equity Eligible Persons who have volunteered to identify themselves to potential clean energy companies.
  • Information on job postings from clean energy companies for which they are recruiting Equity Eligible Persons.
  • Information on workforce training programs administered by DCEO.
  • Equity Investment Eligible (EIE) Community Map that can be utilized by anyone to determine if they or someone else reside in an identified equity investment eligible community.
  • Information on Equity Eligible Contractors participating in the IPA’s Illinois Shines Program.
  • FAQs outlining commonly asked questions and answers on the portal.
  • A user guide to help clean energy companies and Equity Eligible Persons navigate the portal easily.

Phase II of the Portal, launched in July 2023 and introduced several enhancements to the Equity Portal, aimed at improving the user experience and expanding functionalities. These enhancements include:

  • Information on resources for skill development to connect job seekers to FEJA and CEJA workforce training programs as well as other education and training programs
  • Publication of the FEJA Grantees List that allows clean energy companies to identify specific  job training programs that qualify individuals to become EEPs
  • Expansion of the EEP registration form to allow for employers and training providers to register EEPs
  • Information on grants and funding opportunities for organizations at the state, federal, and local level
  • EIEC map updates: 
    • Access to downloadable files of the EIEC map data 
    • Additional layers to the EIEC map allowing users to overlay Illinois county, Illinois House and Senate district, and Chicago ward boundaries onto the map  
    • In April 2024, the Agency refreshed its Equity Investment Eligible Community (EIEC) map. This update incorporated newly identified R3 Areas — communities identified for restorative justice investment — based on updated data from the Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority (ICJIA), reflecting new 2020 census information, unemployment and child poverty indicators, and broader geographic analysis over a five-year time span. The updated map includes both newly identified R3 Areas and those from previous analyses, significantly increasing the number of qualifying communities in central and southern Illinois. 
    • In June 2024, the Agency updated the EIEC map, reflecting the removal of 2022 Environmental Justice Community (EJC) areas used in the previous program year. These EJC designations, determined by the ILSFA Program, are based on updated data from the U.S. Census and the EPA's EJ Screen tool. 

 

Creating Workforce Opportunities-Powering an Equitable Clean Energy Economy for Illinois

The State of Illinois enacted the Climate and Equitable Jobs Act (“CEJA”) in September 2021. CEJA signifies the State’s commitment to transition to a clean energy economy and to create economic opportunities for historically underserved communities to participate in and benefit from a growing clean energy economy. 

Specifically, CEJA amended the Illinois Power Agency Act (“IPA Act”) to include Section 1-75(c-25), which directed the Illinois Power Agency and the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity to create this Energy Workforce Equity Portal per 20 ILCS 3855/1-75(c-25). This portal will help build a diverse pipeline of skilled and trained individuals working in the Illinois’ clean energy economy.