Clean Energy Internship Program

Description of goods to services to be bid:

February 8, 2024 Revision:

The following updates have been made to the PON 4000 – New York State Clean Energy Internship Program:

• The PON application deadline is extended through December 30, 2025, 3:00 PM Eastern Time.
• The remaining funding amount for the program is updated to $4.7 Million available.
• Business eligibility terms have been updated to state that: “Eligible businesses with multiple branches, locations and/or related companies under separate names with unique Federal Employer Identification Numbers (FEINs) will generally be considered single entities but may be considered separate eligible businesses at the sole discretion of NYSERDA. National or chain accounts are considered a single "eligible business.””
• The PON clarifies that applications for funding under this PON are ineligible if other sources of funding, including but not limited to, NYSERDA contracts, federal or other state and local grants, or other incentives have already been awarded for the same staff or project. Funding from other NYSERDA contracts cannot be used for cost share associated with an intern supported through the Clean Energy Internship Program.
• The program-specific age limit for eligible interns applying as members of a Disadvantaged Community and/or Priority Population has been removed.
• The reference to the COVID-19 pandemic as a necessity for remote internships has been removed.
• The program requirements now list a maximum eligible wage for internships. NYSERDA will not approve internships where the intern earns more than $25 per hour for participation in this program, as the program is designed to support entry level work experience.

The New York State Clean Energy Internship Program is a workforce development initiative offered through NYSERDA. The program focuses on enhancing the talent pipeline for New York State businesses engaged in the clean energy industry by facilitating the placement of students and recent graduates considering career opportunities in clean energy into paid internships across the state. Consistent with NYSERDA’s role as a catalyst in growing the talent needed by the clean energy industry, the internship program is designed to provide interns and businesses with the tools to connect. NYSERDA reimburses eligible businesses for a percentage of the intern’s wages.

March 10, 2023 Revision:

The following updates have been made to PON 4000 – New York State Clean Energy Internship Program:

• Available funding total updated to $3 Million.
• Program Contact Information Updated
• Clarified eligible intern definition regarding out of state school requirements and age of disadvantaged community member/priority population category.
• Replaced restriction that interns cannot be relatives of host business/owners/principles/hiring managers with a restriction stating that interns cannot be relatives of any employee at the business.
• Added reference that the workforce development programs business application now includes PON 4772: Climate Justice Fellowship Program.

January 27, 2022:

The following updates have been made to the PON 4000 – New York State Clean Energy Internship Program Summary to provide clarification on program requirements.

• Organizations that run direct entry pre-apprenticeship workforce training programs recognized by the New York State Department of Labor that incorporate clean energy content are now eligible to participate in the program as an “Eligible Business.”
• Organizations that provide technical training in one of the eligible technology categories may now be eligible to participate in the program as an “Eligible Business.”
• NYSERDA may consider exceptions to the minimum employee requirement for participating businesses on a limited case-by-case basis.
• NYSERDA reserves the right to award funding to businesses beyond the caps listed in the PON on a case-by-case basis for internships and training activities related to priority areas such as pre-apprenticeship training and internships for individual from priority populations and disadvantaged communities. All requests for funding above the program hiring caps must be pre-approved by NYSERDA.

November 4, 2021:

The following updates have been made to the PON 4000 – New York State Clean Energy Internship Program Summary to provide clarification on program requirements.

- Reduced funding available to $2.0 million based on funding spent and reserved for interns to date

- Total hours eligible for reimbursement per internship are capped at the 480 hours or the total of intern hours completed within a 12-month period, whichever is fewer.

- Businesses must have at least two employees who receive an IRS W-2 form and who work full-time, defined as at least 35 hours per week (requirement waived for registered MBEs, WBEs, and SDVOBs). Additional guidance on eligible employee totals is provided in the PON Summary.

- New York State residents who are at least 16 years of age and who are members of a Disadvantaged Community and/or a Priority Population category (as defined on the NYSERDA Workforce Development Definitions webpage) can apply as intern candidates directly.

- Business applications for PON 4000: Clean Energy Internship Program and PON 3982: On-the-Job Training Program are combined into a single application, located on the NYSERDA portal. Businesses may be approved for participation in one or both programs.

- Businesses submit internship application documentation and reimbursement requests via the NYSERDA Portal. Internship applications will not be accepted via email.

- Intern candidates submit intern applications via the NYSERDA Portal.

The following updates have been made to the PON Program Summary to provide clarification on program requirements:

1)Internships in traditional trades positions are not eligible unless the job description and full-time work for the intern demonstrates a direct connection to eligible clean energy technology categories.

2) Documentation requirements for intern candidates applying as members of priority populations has been clarified:

a) All Intern Applications must include a cover letter, resume, and residency documentation.
b) Transcripts are required for applicants who are current college and university students and recent graduates. Individuals will demonstrate their eligibility in the Disadvantaged Community category via their residency documentation.
c) Individuals applying under the other Priority Population categories will self-attest that they qualify under the applicable category, and NYSERDA may require back-up documentation of this status prior to awarding funding for an internship.

3) Businesses must maintain documentation of employment records related to the internship funded through the program. Businesses must maintain and provide documentation on employee totals to NYSERDA upon request.

4) Applications for funding under this PON are ineligible if other sources of funding, including but not limited to, federal grants or incentives have already been awarded for the same staff or project.

The New York State Clean Energy Internship Program is a workforce development initiative offered through NYSERDA. The program focuses on enhancing the talent pipeline for New York State businesses engaged in the clean energy industry by facilitating the placement of students and recent graduates considering career opportunities in clean energy into paid internships across the state. Consistent with NYSERDA’s role as a catalyst in growing the talent needed by the clean energy industry, the internship program is designed to provide interns and businesses with the tools to connect. NYSERDA reimburses eligible businesses for a percentage of the intern’s wages.

May 4, 2021

The following updates have been made to the PON 4000 – New York State Clean Energy Internship Program Summary to provide clarification on program requirements:

• Reduced available program funding from $7.5 million to $4.0 million based on funding spent and reserved for interns to date.
• Expanded participation eligibility that was previously limited to System Benefits Charge territory to all of New York State. All Eligible Businesses that participate under this PON must have a business location in New York State. Any intern supported under this PON must work in New York State.
• Adjusted cap on total hours eligible for reimbursement. Internships submitted to NYSERDA on or after July 1, 2021 have a maximum number of hours eligible for reimbursement of 480 hours.
• For Eligible Businesses that are a New York State registered or New York City-certified minority-owned, women-owned, and/or service-disabled veteran owned business, the two full-time-equivalent employee minimum requirement is waived.
• Adjusted cap on number of interns a business may hire at one time. Eligible Businesses with two or more full-time-equivalent employees can have up to seven interns participating in the program at one time. The cap for businesses with under two full-time-equivalent employees that are approved for the program (registered minority-owned, women-owned, and service-disabled veteran-owned businesses only) is three interns participating in the program at one time.
• Established that a business can be reimbursed for only up to 30 interns over the duration of the program, with the exception of minority-owned, women-owned, and/or service-disabled veteran owned businesses registered with New York State or certified with New York City who have no cap on the total number of interns they can be reimbursed for over the duration of the program.
• Added clarification that internships shorter than 8 weeks in total length may be considered on a case-by-case basis for internships conducted as part of Career Pathways training initiatives, however pre-approval by NYSERDA is required.
• Removed requirement for businesses to reapply after 12 months. After 12 months, businesses may be required to submit updated documentation to NYSERDA to verify continued eligible for the program, including current number of employees and office location(s), but reapplication is not required.
• Adjusted definition of eligible service areas related to the Alternative Transportation category to include: electric, hybrid, plug-in hybrid and fuel cell/hydrogen vehicles; as well as public transit systems, smart mobility, and transportation demand management strategies that reduce fuel emissions.
• Added “NYSERDA-funded Career Pathways program” to the list of eligible New York State work preparedness programs for intern eligibility.
• Updated contact information for designated contact to Rebecca Vance, Designated Contact, CleanEnergyInternship@nyserda.ny.gov, (518) 862-1090, ext. 3586
• Clarified that interns moving to the state for an internship do not qualify as “New York State residents” for purposes of eligibility.
• Removed certificate programs from the criteria for eligible interns. To qualify under the student eligibility categories, individuals must be enrolled or have been recently enrolled in a degree program.
• Clarified that the part time reimbursement cap of 18 hours applies for interns taking “one or more classes,” rather than those “enrolled in classes.”
• Clarified that NYSERDA will only reimburse up to 18 hours or 40 hours per week on average for the respective part-time or full-time caps.
• Replaced the list in the solicitation of eligible priority population categories for interns with a reference to the “Definitions” page on the NYSERDA Workforce Development website for an up-to-date list of eligible categories.
• Clarified that the 75% reimbursement rate applies for businesses with 101 employees or more, rather than 100 employees or more.

October 26, 2020:

The following updates have been made to the PON 4000 – New York State Clean Energy Internship Program Summary to provide clarification on program requirements:

• All references to “within the last calendar year” have been replaced with “within the last 12 months”
• All references to “out of state students” have been replaced with “New York State residents attending school outside New York State”
• Updated language to clarify that an intern not taking classes can work up to a maximum of 40 hours a week at any point of the year, not just in the summer.
• Clarified the business size requirement to state: “Businesses must have at least two or more full-time employees or the equivalent of two full-time employees to be eligible.”
• Noted that intern applicants applying as a priority population are to submit documentation related to their status as a priority population in place of a transcript.
• Clarified that interns applying under the eligibility categories for military veterans and priority populations must be New York State residents.

All wage subsidies, length of internships and COVID-19 specific provisions are subject to change on 12/31/20.

The New York State Clean Energy Internship Program is a workforce development initiative offered through NYSERDA. The program focuses on enhancing the talent pipeline for New York State businesses engaged in the clean energy industry by facilitating the placement of students and recent graduates considering career opportunities in clean energy into paid internships across the state. Consistent with NYSERDA’s role as a catalyst in growing the talent needed by the clean energy industry, the internship program is designed to provide interns and businesses with the tools to connect. NYSERDA reimburses eligible businesses for a percentage of the intern’s wages.

August 19, 2020:

The following changes have been made to PON 4000 – New York State Clean Energy Internship Program:

1. Eligible businesses with 20 or fewer employees can have up to seven interns participating in the program at one time. Eligible businesses with 21 or more employees can have a number of interns up to 33% of the number of their full-time employees participating in the program at one time.

The following updates have been made to the PON Program Summary to provide clarification on program requirements:

• Businesses are prohibited from having interns to sign a non-compete agreement as part of their internship employment.
• An intern would not receive a standard benefits package offered to a permanent hire, therefore an employment arrangement that includes benefits is not an eligible internship.

The following changes were previously made to PON 4000 – New York State Clean Energy Internship Program:

1. Reduced remaining amount available to $7.5 million based on funding spent and reserved to date.
   2. Eligible businesses with 20 or fewer employees can have up to seven interns participating in the program at one time. Eligible businesses with 21 or more employees can have a number of interns up to 30% of the number of their full-time employees participating in the program at one time.
   3. Reduced the time period for intern eligibility to 12 months after graduation.
   4. Reduced the minimum age for eligible interns participating in New York State work preparedness programs to sixteen years of age. Added clarification that eligible interns applying under the priority population category must be at least 16 years of age.
   5. Businesses must have at least two or more employees or the equivalent of two full-time employees. Principals of corporations and owners of businesses such as sole proprietors or partners are not considered to be employees for this eligibility requirement, and interns do not count toward the employee total.
   6. Internships must be based out of a Host Business’ office location in SBC/CEF territory, however interns participating in the program are permitted to work remotely as necessitated by the COVID-19 pandemic. NYSERDA must approve all remote work arrangements, and businesses must submit Remote Work Plans to NYSERDA for approval along with the intern’s offer letter.
   7. The PON includes the online link for businesses to submit reimbursement request packages.

   The following updates had been made to the PON Program Summary to provide clarification on program requirements:

   • The solicitation had been clarified to highlight that participating interns must be a new hire for the company. Individuals are not eligible for internships through this program if they were previously employed at the same host business.
   • The solicitation included a summary of priority populations that may be considered for eligibility.
   • The solicitation established details for determining the number of employees for purposes of reimbursement rate and cap on number of interns to be hired at one time. An “eligible business” includes all entities in which the eligible business has a 10 percent or greater interest in ownership or control. Eligible businesses with multiple branches, locations, and/or related companies under separate names with unique Federal Employer Identification Numbers (FEINs) will generally be considered separate eligible businesses but may be considered a single eligible business at the sole discretion of NYSERDA. National or chain accounts are considered a single “eligible business.” Interns are not included in the employee count. Company owners/principals are also not included in the employee count. Businesses must have at least two or more employees or the equivalent of two full-time employees to be eligible. Principals of corporations and owners of businesses such as sole proprietors or partners are not considered to be employees for this eligibility requirement.
   • The solicitation confirmed that NYSERDA will not provide reimbursement on paid vacation time, paid holidays, or fringe benefit costs.

   The New York State Clean Energy Internship Program is a workforce development initiative offered through NYSERDA. The program focuses on enhancing the talent pipeline for New York State businesses engaged in the clean energy industry by facilitating the placement of students and recent graduates considering career opportunities in clean energy into paid internships across the state. Consistent with NYSERDA’s role as a catalyst in growing the talent needed by the clean energy industry, the internship program is designed to provide interns and businesses with the tools to connect. NYSERDA reimburses eligible businesses for a percentage of the intern’s wages.

July 14, 2020:  The following changes have been made to PON 4000 – New York State Clean Energy Internship Program:

The following changes have been made to PON 4000 – New York State Clean Energy Internship Program:

1. Reduced remaining amount available to $7.5 million based on funding spent and reserved to date.
2. Eligible businesses with 20 or fewer employees can have up to seven interns participating in the program at one time. Eligible businesses with 21 or more employees can have a number of interns up to 30% of the number of their full-time employees participating in the program at one time.
3. Reduced the time period for intern eligibility to 12 months after graduation.
4. Reduced the minimum age for eligible interns participating in New York State work preparedness programs to sixteen years of age. Added clarification that eligible interns applying under the priority population category must be at least 16 years of age.
5. Businesses must have at least two or more employees or the equivalent of two full-time employees. Principals of corporations and owners of businesses such as sole proprietors or partners are not considered to be employees for this eligibility requirement, and interns do not count toward the employee total.
6. Internships must be based out of a Host Business’ office location in SBC/CEF territory, however interns participating in the program are permitted to work remotely as necessitated by the COVID-19 pandemic. NYSERDA must approve all remote work arrangements, and businesses must submit Remote Work Plans to NYSERDA for approval along with the intern’s offer letter.
7. The PON includes the online link for businesses to submit reimbursement request packages.
8. The following updates have been made to the PON Program Summary to provide clarification on program requirements:
• The solicitation has been clarified to highlight that participating interns must be a new hire for the company. Individuals are not eligible for internships through this program if they were previously employed at the same host business.
• The solicitation includes a summary of priority populations that may be considered for eligibility.
• The solicitation establishes details for determining the number of employees for purposes of reimbursement rate and cap on number of interns to be hired at one time. An “eligible business” includes all entities in which the eligible business has a 10 percent or greater interest in ownership or control. Eligible businesses with multiple branches, locations, and/or related companies under separate names with unique Federal Employer Identification Numbers (FEINs) will generally be considered separate eligible businesses but may be considered a single eligible business at the sole discretion of NYSERDA. National or chain accounts are considered a single “eligible business.” Interns are not included in the employee count. Company owners/principals are also not included in the employee count. Businesses must have at least two or more employees or the equivalent of two full-time employees to be eligible. Principals of corporations and owners of businesses such as sole proprietors or partners are not considered to be employees for this eligibility requirement.
• The solicitation confirms that NYSERDA will not provide reimbursement on paid vacation time, paid holidays, or fringe benefit costs.

The New York State Clean Energy Internship Program is a workforce development initiative offered through NYSERDA. The program focuses on enhancing the talent pipeline for New York State businesses engaged in the clean energy industry by facilitating the placement of students and recent graduates considering career opportunities in clean energy into paid internships across the state. Consistent with NYSERDA’s role as a catalyst in growing the talent needed by the clean energy industry, the internship program is designed to provide interns and businesses with the tools to connect. NYSERDA reimburses eligible businesses for a percentage of the intern’s wages.

April 15, 2020:  The following changes have been made to PON 4000 – New York State Clean Energy Internship Program:

1. Maximum term of internships will be defined by maximum number of hours as described below but will still need to be a minimum of 8 weeks.
2. Maximum of 18 hours for any time students are attending school, full-time. Eligible interns not taking classes can work up to 40 hours per week.
3. Increase internship term to a maximum of 960 hours (an increase from 480 hours) or 12 months, whichever comes first, in any combination of full-time or part-time hours.
4. Removes all caps on number of interns a business can hire, but NYSERDA can limit at any time as necessary.
5. Will increase time period to up to 24 months after graduation and allows for internships with veterans, individuals from disadvantaged and environmental justice communities and other priority populations that do not meet the college -related requirements of the PON.
6. Incentive for Businesses up to 100 employees: 90% of wage.
7. Incentive for Businesses 100+ Employees: 75% of wage.
8. Businesses may request reimbursement from NYSERDA for wages paid to the intern at the end of the internship or businesses may request progress reimbursement payments no more frequently than every 12 weeks of intern work.
9. All wage subsidies, length of internships and COVID-19 specific provisions will be revised on 12/31/20.

The New York State Clean Energy Internship Program is a workforce development initiative offered through NYSERDA. The program focuses on enhancing the talent pipeline for New York State businesses engaged in the clean energy industry by facilitating the placement of students and recent graduates considering career opportunities in clean energy into paid internships across the state. Consistent with NYSERDA’s role as a catalyst in growing the talent needed by the clean energy industry, the internship program is designed to provide interns and businesses with the tools to connect. NYSERDA reimburses eligible businesses for a percentage of the intern’s wages.

If changes are made to this solicitation notification will be posted on NYSERDA’s website at: http://www.nyserda.ny.gov/funding-opportunities 

Eligibility/Qualifications Requirements/Preferences:

Completing the Eligible Business Application Form does not guarantee or entitle an organization to receive internship funds. To gain approval for participation, the organization must complete the following steps:

• Be an eligible clean energy business as defined in PON4000
• Be registered to do business in New York State.
• Must have the legal authority to hire employees and conduct business in New York State and must have its business address within SBC/CEF service territory.
• Provide a meaningful internship, which is work that will introduce interns to jobs in clean energy careers.
• Provide adequate proof that the organization is able to pay the intern(s) and all associated costs associated with employment.
• Successfully demonstrate that the organization has a formal office in New York State.
• Not be an academic or government entity.
• Be in good standing with NYSERDA and the NYS Department of Labor.