Solar program offers path to energy jobs.

AuthorRomig, Suzie
PositionENERGY REPORT

After almost 23 years in the U.S. Air Force, Kevin Sova was pushed into military retirement and at age 45 due to downsizing.

The developmental engineer wanted to follow his passion into a different career path in renewable energy, but needed a way to get his foot in the door. So this summer, Sova took advantage of a current push in Colorado to retrain workers for the solar industry.

In June the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment awarded the nonprofit Solar Energy International in Paonia a $401,000 WORK Act Grant for outreach and marketing of job training. Already 100 students have completed training or enrolled in the Solar Ready Colorado program at SEI. The goal is to retrain 350 unemployed coal miners, military veterans, furloughed oil and gas employees, and construction trade workers by June 2017, says Chris Turek, SEI marketing and alumni relations director. Those workers possess transferable skills for the growing solar job sector and can take a single introductory course or log 200 hours for a solar professional certificate.

Although the 25-year-old educational nonprofit in known nationally and internationally by more than 45,000 alumni in all 50 states and 160 countries, the new funding is raising awareness of the Western Slope company in Colorado. Turek says a common question students ask is, "Where is Paonia?" Visiting students soon find plenty of outdoor recreational opportunities during their downtime. The students need lodging and meals, thus providing a significant economic boost to the small town in Delta County.

"With the decline of coal, people want to refocus," Turek says. "Paonia has many like-minded individuals who want to support solar."

About one-third of all certified solar installers in North America have completed training through SEI, Turek noted. The organization prepares some 3,500 people...

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