Building the Heat Pump Workforce: CAP OC Cuts the Ribbon on a New Training Facility
Funded and supported by TECH Clean California, this stipend-based training program with a hands-on mini house is preparing minority contractors for California’s electrification future.
August 31, 2026
Affordable and accessible home electrification requires a skilled local workforce ready to design, install, and maintain it. The Community Action Partnership of Orange County (CAP OC) is working to fill that gap, utilizing funding from TECH Clean California to build a local heat pump training program from the ground up. On July 29th, TECH Clean California joined them to celebrate the results.
The Quick Start Grant Program
TECH Clean California’s 2026 Quick Start Grant program offered nearly $1.7 million in grants to cities and community-based organizations working to bring accessible electrification to communities across the state. The program is designed to fund innovative, locally driven solutions to address hard-to-reach communities.
The CAP OC Grant
TECH Clean California awarded CAP OC nearly $300,000 to expand local access to heat pump education and installation experience. The grant embeds a heat pump training program directly into CAP OC’s existing Weatherization Training Facility.
Thanks to this funding and subcontracting with the Gary Wollen Group, CAP OC is now hosting a stipend-based heat pump technology training program for minority contractors, where they conduct in-person trainings to build real installation experience. They are also developing a visual field guide documenting best practices for heat pump HVAC retrofits in low-income housing.
Christine Baginski, Director of Energy and Environmental Services at CAP OC, described the immediate benefits of collaboration between the two organizations. “When TECH Clean California and Community Action Partnerships align, we move beyond programs working in parallel and create a shared pathway where communities can access cleaner technologies, lower energy burdens, and new economic opportunities.”
The Celebration
CAP OC held the ribbon-cutting ceremony at their Weatherization Training Facility in Orange County on July 29th. The centerpiece of the event was a “mini-house” built specifically for training purposes, outfitted with multiple heat pump HVAC and water heater installations, including:
- Mini split system
- Ducted system
- Seal cassette paired with a ducted system
- Split system heat pump water heater
The “mini house” will anchor two rounds of trainings under the quick start grant’s scope, but the benefits started before the first training session even began; the local team members who built and installed the systems in the mini-house gained hands on experience of their own in the process.
TECH Clean California is looking to scale CAP OC’s approach across all 58 Community Action Partnerships statewide. If you are interested in joining a training or electrifying your home in Orange County, reach out to Brianna Ancona, bancona@capoc.org.