GRID Alternatives, in partnership with the PG&E Pacific Energy Center and NorCal Solar, hosted its 3rd annual Solar Jobs Fair in conjunction with the Intersolar North America conference in San Francisco. The event connected over 250 job seekers with nearly 20 actively hiring solar companies from around the Bay Area.
Companies of all sizes were represented, featuring a wide range of currently open positions. Many were collecting resumes and holding interviews for qualified candidates on the spot. For former GRID Alternatives volunteer Henry Sheridan, who now owns SePac Energy Systems, Inc., the job fair gave him the opportunity to connect with potential candidates for an additional installation crew. “Right now we desperately need trained people with the right skills and experience. GRID volunteers have that.”
Job seekers also had the chance to build soft skills through mock interviews, networking, and resume reviews led by volunteers from Bay Area solar companies. As one job seeker shared, “I didn’t feel rushed. I was able to take my time and talk to all of the companies I was interested in, as well as get valuable feedback on my resume.”
Additionally, as part of our continued efforts around workforce development and our RISE Initiative, a partnership with SunEdison, we hosted a panel on diversity in the workplace. The panel was moderated by GRID Alternatives’ Director of Workforce Development, Erika Symmonds, and featured panelists Rob Black, Senior Director of Community Relations at PG&E, and Kerinia Cusick, Vice President of Financeability at SunEdison. Panelists discussed the importance of creating an inclusive and diverse workplace, as well as the efforts being made by their respective companies to address this objective.
We also took the opportunity to announce and celebrate a decade of partnership with PG&E, whose representatives presented us with a giant $100,000 check to support our workforce development efforts in Northern and Central California. Together, we've interconnected a whopping 2500 systems in PG&E's service area!
Thank you to everyone who made the job fair such a success. Special thanks to PG&E, NorCal Solar, all of the companies who attended the event, and our fabulous volunteers who donated their time to provide valuable advice to job seekers. Stay tuned for information on upcoming solar job fairs on September 14 at SPI in Anaheim and September 23 in Fresno.
Click here to see more photos from the job fair.