Solar Landscape, a leading New Jersey developer, designer, installer and owner of commercial and community solar projects completed its first online Solar Jobs Training Program this week in partnership with Edison Job Corps, a career technical training program administered by the U.S. Department of Labor that prepares 16 to 24 year-olds for employment and financial independence. The Solar Landscape-sponsored program will be held on a rolling basis and provide participants with the required introductory technical skills needed for employment as solar installers as well as referrals from partner organizations to aid in immediate employment. With the onset of the Covid 19 virus, this new partnership will allow students to continue their training, gain necessary skills and become ready to enter the work force.
The training program was initially planned for in-person instruction, but due to COVID-19 related stay-at-home directives, the two entities transitioned a portion to online instruction. The solar installer training program consists of 40 hours of online instruction followed by 40 hours of field training, to happen at a later date. The virtual classroom is designed to deliver the same curriculum as the in-person training and allows students to access the modules at any time.
“I loved it, it was very informative and a great opportunity to learn new information,” said Taya Criss, who completed the first training program. “I’m glad Solar Landscape has offered to train us and teach these elements of the solar industry and answer our questions. I definitely learned a lot and would do it again.”
A total of 18 trainees completed the first program. Edison Job Corps and Solar Landscape will also be offering NABCEP (The North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners) PV Associate certification courses.
“We want to prepare our students for careers in this growing and beneficial industry and felt the need to be proactive in launching our program early given all that is happening throughout the world,” said Tony Staynings, Work Based Learning Coordinator at Edison Job Corps. “Students will be able to progress at their own pace and speak with an instructor one-on-one with questions. We will closely monitor our student’s reaction to the training and are excited about the possibilities.”
This is just the start of what the Edison Job Corps campus plans to do to help student achieve ultimate success!