Stigma around people who were incarcerated within the solar industry — and society broadly — creates a major barrier to employment, according to Adewale OgunBadejo, Workforce Development Manager with GRID Greater Los Angeles. This piece highlights our work in Greater L.A. to provide hands-on solar training for people returning from prison, as well as the wider effort to hire more people with justice records in the solar industry.
GRID Alternatives Bay Area is honored to have been recognized last month by the YMCA Youth Workforce Development program, Empowerment to Employment, as their Employer Partner of the Year. This past fall through spring GRID Bay Area was able to partner with them on their Empowerment to Employment mission to provide support to transitional youth to overcome personal and professional barriers by providing them with internship and employment opportunities.
"What led me to where I am today? What am I not doing? When will an opportunity present itself to me?" Julian asked himself these questions while working for seven years as a chef and bartender. Then, after graduating from GRID Mid-Atlantic's workforce development program, he found a new career in solar.
GRID Alternatives Mid-Atlantic’s innovative Solar Futures program, which aims to open career pathways in the solar industry and inspire the next generation to combat climate change, culminated on May 20 with capstone presentations from 16 students at the H.D. Woodson Academy of Engineering.
The Solar Works DC program celebrated its 100th installation in a special ceremony that was attended by Washington, D.C., mayor Muriel Bowser and representatives from GRID Alternatives Mid-Atlantic, the Department for Energy and Environment, and the Department of Employment Services.
It is truly a blessing as well as a great privilege to see a trainee first walk into our doors wanting to learn about solar, to graduating knowing he is fully prepared to start in the solar industry.
Edison International (parent company of Southern California Edison/SCE) teamed up with GRID Alternatives Inland Empire recently to install no cost solar systems for two families in Grand Terrace, California during Earth Week.
At a recent UCR Solar Energy Conference, a professor from Université Nice Sophia Antipolis stopped by GRID’s table and expressed interest in having their students visit GRID during their trip to the United States. GRID Alternatives Inland Empire (GRID IE) was excited to receive them.
