Dive Brief:

• The city of Washington D.C. and GRID Alternatives, a non-profit group that trains individuals for solar jobs, recently formed a partnership called Solar Works DC. The goal is to provide on-the-job training in renewable energy tech to low-income neighborhoods. At the same time, the installation of solar panels on low-income housing would decrease costs for residents and the impact on the power grid.
• Director of Washington's Department of Energy and Environment,Tommy Wells, told The Christian Science Monitor that the city plans to invest as much as $300 million in solar energy projects over the next 15 years. Experts expect a 26% increase in the number of solar jobs this year alone.
• Already, the first group of 12 has completed the intensive hands-on training and are lining up job interviews. Another class is set to start September 5th.

Dive Insight:

At the crossroads of energy technology and an emerging generation of eager workers, the Solar Works DC initiative meets the needs of otherwise disadvantaged communities and also provides a potential source of talent for an industry struggling to make up for talent losses from retirement.

The training programs can give local workers the hands-on skills they need to succeed while providing a more consistent stream of talent to local companies. This logic drives why the Trump administration has turned to apprenticeship programs as a key labor policy objective during its first term. People who can do the jobs are out there — it is simply a matter of teaching them the skills they need to succeed.

A similar approach is happening in Wyoming with wind turbine energy programs. Apprenticeship and upskilling programs that put people to work in high-growth industries with focused training programs will likely continue to expand in coming years.