On October 23, GRID Alternatives Greater Los Angeles hosted a Workforce Development event that took us back to our roots in Carson, CA! Offering free resources to nearly 120 people who attended, the Solar Job Fair sponsored by Southern California Edison introduced fourteen local employers to new GRID talent. We were pleased to partner with Carson and hold the event inside the Carson Civic Center, convenient to many of the communities we train south of Downtown Los Angeles. The morning even included a welcome from City Councilman Jawane Hilton.
Ever since we started our work in a small office in Carson more than a decade ago, our objective of making solar accessible to everybody has guided us. Solar job fairs like this one are a fantastic vehicle to create equitable opportunities and directly connect our trainees to the solar industry. The excitement of our job-seekers engaged everyone! Lauren Reed, Public Relations Manager at NetZero Plus Electrical Training Institute, was one impressed exhibitor: "We had so many students and young adults interested in our facility … I can't wait to work together again."
GLA Workforce Development Manager Adewale OgunBadejo pointed out that this was our first year hosting a solar industry job fair in the South Bay. "We're honored to be able to hold this event in a city where we first started the GLA office." Adewale emphasized our enthusiasm for providing real-world, hands-on training and experience to help people in the communities we serve access jobs in a rapidly-growing industry. "We hope this is the beginning of bringing more 21st century clean energy jobs to the South Bay."