Academic collaboratorWorkforce pathway map
A clear view of the journey from candidate to a defined energy occupation.
2150 Energy iLAB
Problems to Solutions.
Solutions to Startups.
Startups to Successful Companies.
2150 × Alabama State University
2150 connects students, professors and industry leaders to develop solutions, validate business opportunities and advance promising ventures into companies that create economic and community impact.
THE PATHWAY GRANT FUNDING ENABLES
IDEA OR PROBLEMSOLUTIONSTARTUPINVESTABLE & IMPACTFUL COMPANY
RESEARCH &
ENTREPRENEURSHIP ALIGNMENT
ENTREPRENEURSHIP ALIGNMENT
Southern CompanyEnergy-sector alignment
London School of EconomicsEntrepreneurship alignment
01 / The thesis · Energy transition & workforce readiness
Energy is changing.
Opportunity must follow.
The energy transition creates opportunity only when training, recruitment and actual employer demand connect. A skills-to-opportunity system can help institutions build a relevant talent pipeline—grounded in people, not assumptions.
Grant support can turn an identified workforce barrier into a tested readiness solution—giving local talent a clearer pathway into a globally significant industry.
CURRENT STAGE: RESEARCH & VALIDATION PLANNED Commercialization is the ambition—not an achieved outcome.
01 →
Idea or problem
Identify where candidates fall out of an employer-informed energy occupation pathway.
02 →
Solution
Develop a skill rubric and prototype readiness assessment to address one remediable barrier.
03 →
Startup
Validate an energy-sector talent readiness service with employers and institutions.
04 ↗
Investable & impactful company
Build evidence of customer demand, viable delivery economics and measurable impact before expansion.
02 / Idea or problem → Research
Where does the pathway
break down?
Where do candidates fall out of the pathway into one selected energy occupation, and what employer-informed intervention can close that gap?
RESEARCH & VALIDATION
01
Select one energy occupation with employer input.
02
Map required skills and credentials.
03
Interview employers, training providers and students.
04
Compare candidate readiness with job requirements.
05
Identify one remediable barrier in the pathway.
03 / Solution → Planned fall outputs
Research that becomes
something useful.
Four planned outputs. One focused occupational pathway. A practical foundation for a workforce pilot.
Policy & employer practice brief
Employer-informed recommendations for closing an identified pathway gap.
Skill rubric
A shared framework for the skills and credentials that matter to employers.
Prototype readiness assessment
A practical prototype to compare candidate readiness with job requirements.
WHAT WE WILL MEASURE ↗
Assessment completion · Employer acceptance of the rubric · Movement into interviews or training
04 / Startup → Investable & impactful company
A solution with a customer.
A venture with a future.
The proposed startup is an energy-sector talent readiness and assessment service for employers, colleges or workforce intermediaries. It starts with one occupation and one employer-informed barrier—not an assumption that a solution is ready to scale.
Potential revenue: institutional contracts or employer-funded cohort services.
Identified customer
An employer, college or workforce intermediary willing to use and pay for the assessment.
Viable revenue model
Institutional or cohort contracts that can cover the real cost of delivery.
Demonstrated value
Evidence of better delivery cost and outcomes than the customer’s current process.
Measurable impact
Assessment completion, employer acceptance and movement into interviews or training.
05 / What funding makes possible
Fund the work.
Build the evidence.
Funding enables the people and practical work needed to move a real workforce problem toward a validated solution and a potential company. This iLAB’s proposed pilot connects students to a defined energy-sector occupational pathway.
Student participation & stipendsFaculty researchIndustry engagement & employer accessSolution development & credential mappingCustomer validationPilot testing
Evidence before expansion.
To advance, we need evidence that an employer will use and pay for the assessment—with a delivery cost and outcome better than its current process.
Internships and placements remain pilot outcomes to pursue.
06 / The people building the future
Global Opportunity.
Local Talent.
Lasting Impact.
Support the students, professors and industry collaborators moving real problems toward practical solutions and impactful companies.
Partner with the 2150 Energy iLAB
Industry insight.
Shared progress.
The proposed collaboration includes employer interviews, occupation and credential mapping, rubric review, customer validation and pilot testing. Academic and industry participation will help establish whether the assessment meets real workforce needs.