GRID Alternatives is proud to announce that one of our job trainees has found great success in the solar industry! German Rivas began exploring solar technology two years ago through GRID and his class at Proteus, Inc, our job training partner. Now, at 22 years of age, German has exceeded his family’s and his own expectations, landing a lucrative career in solar with the potential for continued growth.
Prior to discovering the solar job market, German planned on carrying on his family’s tradition of becoming a truck driver. The men in his family had always earned a good living driving trucks, but German couldn’t help but notice that this career choice left them exhausted and without excess time or energy to enjoy other aspects of life. German’s plan was to work in the solar industry just long enough to earn money for truck driving school, but his plans changed when the solar industry stole his heart.
German found his passion in solar technology as soon as he started his job training with GRID. He enjoyed learning about solar through his class, and says it was GRID’s hands-on learning experience that “brought it to life” and got him hooked on solar. German gives special recognition to his favorite Solar Installation Supervisor with a loud “shout out” to Oscar Mendez, who has been a great inspiration to him on his road to success! Even after landing this amazing job, German plans to continue volunteering with GRID in his spare time, and is excited about our Solarthon coming up in October!
Wells Fargo is a longtime supporter of GRID’s Workforce Development efforts in California, and donated $100,000 this year alone to help us expand the program throughout the state and train individuals like German. Through their generous support, GRID continues to provide valuable resources such as hands-on solar training, job fairs and a solar jobs guidebooks, for those looking to get their start in solar.
German instantly fell in love with the solar industry, and it was no surprise that the solar industry loved him back. His growth within the industry is a great example of how far a motivated person can go in the solar job market. German was working for Signal Energy through a staffing agency when he was spotted on the job site and recognized for his outstanding performance. His job turned in to a career when Array Technologies offered him a full time position as a Service Technician. Within only two years of entering the solar industry, German has found more success than he thought he would gain in his entire lifetime.
When asked by his managers where he gained such a wide range of skills, German gives thanks to GRID Alternatives. We also thank German for showing employers what a GRID job trainee can do, and Wells Fargo, for continuing to support our workforce development efforts, making training and resources available to talented individuals like German!