Job Training

On a Friday morning in mid May, 16 students, dressed in button up shirts and shined shoes, began filing into GRID Alternatives’ Bay Area training space. The students had just finished a month of intensive hands-on solar training - the longest solar cohort training to date in the Bay Area - with GRID Alternatives and Rising Sun Energy Center, a Berkeley-based job training nonprofit and longtime partner of GRID’s. Each student walked with a little extra pep in their step knowing that they were prepared for the the private job fair with local hiring employers that took place on their last day of the month-long training.

ਅਲਹੁ ਗੈਬੁ ਸਗਲ ਘਟ ਭੀਤਰਿ ਹਿਰਦੈ ਲੇਹੁ ਬਿਚਾਰੀ ॥ ਆਸਾ (ਭ. ਕਬੀਰ) (੨੯) ੩:੧ - ਗੁਰੂ ਗ੍ਰੰਥ ਸਾਹਿਬ : ਅੰਗ ੪੮੩ ਪੰ. ੭ (Gurmukhi, the script in which the Punjabi language is written). In English- Alahu Gaib Sagal Ghatt Bheethar Hiradhai Laehu Bichaaree || Raag Asa Bhagat Kabir, Guru Granth Sahib: Ang 483. Meaning: Allah (God) is hidden in every heart; reflect upon this in your mind.

My name is Chris Rosales and I am a fifth year finance major at California State Polytechnic University, Pomona. In my five years as a finance student it was easy to get wrapped up in campus life and wait to develop any hands-on finance skills such as budgeting or forecasting. When my school schedule finally opened up, I began my search for an internship. My primary goal was to find an organization that would help me develop my finance and accounting skills.

People often ask me, “What’s the difference between sustainability studies and environmental science?” The simple answer is this: Sustainability is the study of the environment in which we care about people. At GRID Alternatives, they take a multifaceted approach to climate change; decreasing our collective carbon footprint, while simultaneously increasing diversity in the workforce, empowering individuals with minimal access to resources. My name is Mikaela Kato and as a Sustainability major at University of California, Riverside (UCR) the work GRID does is not only endlessly fascinating to me, but also so extremely relevant to what I study.

On Friday, May 25th, 22 trainees took another step closer to a career in solar by graduating the Solar Works DC program.

Solar Futures students have the opportunity to get real-world solar installation experience with GRID.

Blaine Boyer is an educator at Rancho Vista High School, a continuation school in Temecula, who has been an active partner of GRID Alternatives since 2012.

Imagine, at age 18, receiving an opportunity that will guide you to your ideal career. Although the journey to finding your career is always a challenge, one Inland Empire high school in San Bernardino is making those first steps a little easier.

Five years ago, several schools approached GRID IE with an idea to enhance their vocational academies through GRID’s unique hands-on solar training program.