Job Training

GRID Alternatives Central Coast is pleased to announce the certification of 4 new team leaders working to install solar for low income families. The Team Leader program was developed for “super volunteers” – volunteers who attend repeated solar installations with our team- working towards mastery of a checklist of installation skills. It takes time, patience and dedication to achieve team leader status and these solar hotshots have certainly earned their coveted orange shirts!

On a sunny Saturday morning in June, five women came together to volunteer in a South Sacramento neighborhood by installing a solar array. Many of them had never met one another or the homeowner they served, but they were all held together by a common bond: each of these women, along with GRID Outreach Coordinator Kim Garrett, comes from a background of military service.

"Gramma can you believe it? You got solar panels!" squealed eight-year old Diamond as her grandmother looked through pictures of the solar array that was just installed on her roof. Diamond's grandmother, Ida, heard about GRID Alternatives when its offices were only located on the West Coast and waited patiently for years hoping GRID would come to this area. Now that GRID Alternatives has a Mid-Atlantic Regional office in DC, Ida was finally able to get solar on her Baltimore home. People from the Baltimore community came together to make this installation happen: local volunteers, GRID Solar Corps fellows and staff members, AmeriCorps Members from Civic Works' Baltimore Energy Challenge program, and Ida's family members all had a hand in this project. This solar installation was one of the first of many to take place in Baltimore, a result of the shared mission and collaboration of multiple organizations.

All of a sudden, Mr. Evans jumped out of his chair. “I’m gonna go look at the solar panels on my house!” he said excitedly, as he ran out the door, surprisingly quick for someone over seventy years old. Participants of the Green Zone Environmental Program (GZEP) job training group had just completed the solar installation on Mr. Evans’ home and were enjoying a well-deserved break with the hot dogs and hamburgers that Mr. Evans had prepared. Everyone put down their plates and followed Mr. Evans, who was already at the top of the ladder peering out from under his hard hat at his roof. “Man, this is really something!” he said. Everyone grinned, glad that they had pleased the spritely Mr. Evans, a DC homeowner by the Anacostia River. GRID Alternatives is excited to welcome 15 GZEP job trainees to our team for six weeks!

How can volunteerism impact your life? Whether it be installing solar panels on a family’s rooftop, working in a community garden, or helping out a family in need; volunteerism reaps many benefits. In particular, volunteerism provides the opportunity to gain valuable working skills while developing important social skills by interacting with volunteers from all walks of life.

Independence has a unique meaning for Timbisha Shoshone tribal members...

On Thursday, May 12, 2016, students from George M. DeWolf High School came out to participate on their first installation with GRID Alternatives. Enrolled in the school’s construction technology course, students were eager to get hands-on solar installation experience while helping a local family in need.

Imagine you wake up early in the morning, stretch, go on a five-mile run, and then listen to a motivational speaker for a half an hour inspiring you to live your life to the fullest; all before the rest of the world is at work. You would feel empowered, motivated, and accomplished, right? This is how the organization Run Hope Work empowers youth to become their best selves physically and emotionally, all while providing hands-on training to boost their resume skills in order to find a job.

“I’ve never done anything like it,” is how Tysean described his experience installing solar with GRID Alternatives. Tysean is part of the Montgomery County Conservation Corps, a branch of the Lati American Youth Center (LAYC), a group that helps youth obtain their GED while giving them experience in different career fields. This was GRID’s second time working with the LAYC, and it was our pleasure to host Tysean and three other job trainees in our DC office for a week.

GRID IE reached a new peak in solar construction with our first commercial solar system.