Geothermal energy company Fervo Energy has partnered with Southern Utah University (SUU) and nonprofit investing platform Elemental Impact to launch a geothermal apprenticeship program.

The program, announced Oct. 23 by Fervo, aims to help oil and gas workers along with Southwest Utah residents join the enhanced geothermal industry.

As part of the first-of-a-kind geothermal program spurred by the Inflation Reduction Act, participants will have a chance to learn geothermal directional drilling and well completions while getting on-the-job training and taking college-level coursework on geology and energy systems, Fervo said in a news release.

“Thousands of Americans work in upstream oil and gas, and with the right tools, they can easily apply their skill sets to geothermal production,” said Fervo Energy CEO Tim Latimer. “We can harness the full potential of this existing talent pool and attract new talent beyond current fossil fuel workers by providing on-the-ground and in-classroom training opportunities.”

The program will be administered by SUU and partially funded by Elemental Impact, which invests in climate technology and community initiatives, according to the release.

“This initiative, in partnership with SUU, is an essential bridge to building a local workforce and advancing the clean energy transition,” Elemental Impact CEO Dawn Lippert said.

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