Credit: The Solar Foundation<\/p><\/div>\n
Apprenticeships are one of the best ways to train and retain talent in a given industry. Apprentices are taught the job and paid for their work simultaneously, opening the career to those who couldn\u2019t afford to take classes without an income stream. Industries like plumbing, electrical and many others have well-established apprenticeship programs, but the relatively new career of solar installer hasn\u2019t had that option.<\/p>\n
Until now.<\/p>\n
In this episode of the Contractor\u2019s Corner podcast, we talk with Richard Lawrence, program director at clean energy nonprofit IREC<\/a>, and Colleen McCann Kettles, director of the workforce and business development division at the University of Central Florida\u2019s FSEC Energy Research Center.<\/a> Lawrence and Kettles share their progress in creating the Florida Solar Energy Apprenticeship Program, and how that model can be replicated in other states and at the federal level.<\/p>\n An edited portion of the interview is below, but be sure to listen to the full podcast for more insight on the consumer protections that come along with apprenticeships, and how these programs benefit utility-scale solar contractors.<\/p>\n Find the Contractor\u2019s Corner podcast on your favorite podcast app. Thank you to this month\u2019s sponsors,\u00a0Scanifly<\/a>, American Wire Group<\/a> and DCE Solar<\/a>.<\/p>\n Scanifly<\/a> is the only drone-based solar software focused on automating the survey and design stages of your solar project’s life.<\/em><\/p>\n With industry-leading ground and rooftop racking systems, DCE Solar<\/a> is your solution for commercial and utility scale projects.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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