Training & Workforce

One of the biggest challenges we face as a growing industry is the severe shortage of qualified people to work in it. Even though the wages and benefits are attractive and there are many jobs in our industry (design, manufacturing, sales, logistics, installation, operations, maintenance, etc.), there are few solar-specific training courses available in Silicon Valley to support those who want to develop careers in the solar industry and to support an industry that is seeking qualified people. The few courses that do exist at community colleges or other training facilities are located outside of the region or are available online and do not result in a standard or industry certification. As a result, solar employers are experiencing increasing difficulty in meeting the growing demand for solar workers.

While there are numerous opportunities to improve the efficiency of solar training, it is also important to focus on the local economic value of growing these jobs in the region and utilizing local talent. As pointed out in many recent studies, across America and across Silicon Valley, there has been a steady decline in the percentage and number of jobs that provide self-sufficient, middle-class incomes. A recent analysis authored by Working Partnerships USA states:

“In 2000, households making between $50,000 and $99,999 comprised the largest single income bracket in Santa Clara County. These … households made up the ‘secure middle class.’ … By 2005, the largest group of households was no longer the secure middle class. The number of households earning between $50,000 and $99,999 fell from 185,101 to 175,117…. At the same time the number of households falling into the lowest income bracket grew enormously, from 148,304 to 204,872—making ‘less than $50,000’ by far the largest group.”

Therefore, by supporting local programs for local industries, such as solar power, we provide an opportunity for those seeking self-sufficiency. Establishing a workforce development strategy through the existing public education system that is targeted at the solar industry and its emerging employment opportunities has multiple benefits. It will give our developing companies a competitive advantage over other regions. It will foster new job growth in value-added occupations that are likely to stay in the region. The customary wage and benefit packages will provide income levels that can support Silicon Valley households. Furthermore, it will capitalize on the technology assets already available in the region. In short, it is good workforce development policy, good economic development policy and good community development policy.

Objective

A key factor in reducing the installation costs of solar systems is the creation of appropriate training programs and certification standards.

Training Standards

As member companies know, we generally are unable to hire people with skills and training in the solar industry, thus requiring us to hire people with diverse backgrounds whom we must train ourselves. This presents the following major challenges for our industry:

• The need for each company to train its own solar workers is not highly scalable and results in higher costs for our industry and our customers.
• The lack of trained workers who execute a consistent set of standards across our industry presents a risk that more onerous licensing requirements will be imposed on the industry in the future.
• The North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners (NABCEP) created and administers the NABCEP Solar PV Installer Certification program, but the courses to prepare for this rigorous certification exam are few and far between, with no standardization around the coursework nor offering hands-on training.[1]
• Although training standards exist for our industry, qualified workers who have this training are not widespread, resulting in wide variations in quality and efficacy of the workers.
• There is a need for training standards at different skill levels than only the one defined by the NABCEP certification. A team installing a residential solar project might include one NABCEP certified solar installer and additional construction workers with solar installation training.

Scope

We estimate there are currently 1,000 to 2,000 workers employed in the solar industry in Silicon Valley. The industry is growing at 35 to 40 percent per year, and we anticipate requiring another 10,000 to 20,000 solar workers in Silicon Valley over the next decade. Of these, we estimate approximately 60 percent of the jobs to be in manufacturing and installation, 20 percent in sales and marketing, and 20 percent in engineering.

The SolarTech Training and Workforce program will work with local schools to define and execute standardized training and certification at various levels for solar installers, salespeople, and other workers in the solar energy industry. As curricula and standards are defined, SolarTech will work to have them adopted on a statewide basis, but the first goal is to prove that the training works by producing successful new workers in the solar industry local to Silicon Valley. SolarTech Training and Workforce program may serve as a case study to show how education, industry, and the workforce and economic development communities can work together to serve the greater good of the entire community.

The SolarTech Training and Workforce Standards program will lever the standards and best practices defined by the SolarTech Installation Standards program.

Summary of Recommendations

We propose to undertake the following steps with respect to creating training standards:

1. Conduct a labor market study of the solar industry identifying occupational needs, as well as the career opportunities and career ladders within the industry's various sectors, including first-person accounts of the skills, knowledge, training, and benefits of a select number of occupations.
2. Work with local educators to define a curriculum and certification program for occupations unique to the solar industry, with an initial focus on solar system installers. Local educators include community colleges, adult education centers, trade schools, and workforce investment boards.
3. Develop a multi-tiered training and certification process for solar installation technicians, with the top level being coursework and practical jobsite hands-on training necessary to prepare for taking the NABCEP certification.
4. Create a core SolarTech Workforce Training Standards team consisting of champions from local community colleges, adult education centers, trade schools, workforce boards, solar installation companies, and solar module manufacturers to define and execute a pilot short course and associated practical jobsite hands on training for the lowest level of proposed certification.
5. Work with local educators to define a curriculum and certification program for solar salespeople, including training on site surveys, solar resource assessment, and shading analysis. Propose an industry accreditation and certificate for solar salespeople.
6. Investigate potential partners that might provide a good source of adult learners interested in learning new skills to work in the solar energy field (such as the Santa Clara County Construction Careers Association (S4CA)).
7. Develop accelerated training programs within a number of local community colleges to provide accessible training for photovoltaic panel installers, panel maintenance technicians, advanced metering technicians, energy managers, and solar industry sale staff/project managers.
8. Design and implement pilot program to train dislocated workers for high-skilled sales and project management positions within the solar energy sector.
9. Work with local economic development organizations and workforce boards to create a better understanding of the skill sets needed in the various solar industry occupations, and provide assistance in the one-stop career centers to help job seekers navigate toward these opportunities and gain an understanding of where to get the needed basic skills and special training.
10. Work to encourage statewide adoption of such local programs as we gain experience with them and develop a SolarTech Recommended Standard Operating Procedure for solar training programs.