Last week, GRID Alternatives staff descended on Anaheim, CA for Solar Power International (SPI), one of the world's largest solar conferences and trade shows. Our goal? To help connect an industry that needs good people to people who need good jobs.
As part of our RISE initiative, we partnered with SEIA and conference organizers to conduct the first ever SPI job fair. With more than 30 companies and 400 attendees, we created a space for employers to meet job seekers face to face. "Many people in this industry don't have resumes that they post online, we have to be face-to-face with them, so this type of job fair allows us to do that," said Summer Neal, Talent Acquisition Manager at Verengo Solar. And the face time paid off. Juan Ortiz, a GRID Alternatives volunteer with more than 50 GRID installations under his belt, could barely control his excitement after he signed an offer letter on the spot with Verengo.
"I'm happy!" he said. "Thanks to GRID and all the opportunities they gave us. I worked very hard working and volunteering at a low pay, and getting hired by a legit company, it's awesome, it's all I've ever wanted."
In addition to the job fair, GRID Alternatives hosted a panel discussion on diversity, manned a booth on the trade room floor where we debuted our resume bank, and even participated in a very rainy 5K fundraiser race benefitting GRID and the Solar Foundation. A big thanks to Solar Energy Trade Shows for the booth donation, Sol Systems for organizing the race, and everyone who came out to our job fair!
Click here for photos from the day, and check out the video below for more SPI Job Fair success stories!