On July 2nd, 2024, GRID IE was proud to present the graduates of the first IBT 200 Cohort of 2024: Elijah Clark, William Bolczak, Alejandro Morales, Juan Ibanez Sanchez, Michael Tran, Eduardo Gomez, Guillermo Ramos, and Peter Estrada!
IBT 200 is a five-week, full-time, immersive training program that includes classroom instruction, warehouse lab activities, and real-world solar installations.
The eight graduates spent 200 hours with our GRID Workforce and Construction staff learning about solar technology, climate change, tools and equipment, installation techniques, employment readiness skills (including building resumes, cover letters, mock interviews, interpersonal skills and communication, financial literacy basics, etc), OSHA 10, and CPR first aid.
Cindy Corrales, GRID IE's Workforce Development Director
Many people know about GRID’s work helping green our planet—reducing greenhouse gas emissions through the installation of solar energy and how GRID’s solar projects are centered around serving families and communities in need—but one thing folks often forget about, or may not often see, is the workforce programming that is tied to many of the infrastructure projects our Outreach and Construction teams work so hard to make happen at the residential and commercial level.
Our solar build sites have value to career seekers in our community and provide an opportunity to learn, grow, and build confidence in pursuing careers in the solar industry.
When GRID started over 20 years ago, you may know that we focused on installing solar panels for families in need at no cost, utilizing tools borrowed from a tool-lending library and a team of community volunteers.
That thriving volunteer program at GRID quickly became recognized by solar employers who sought out these experienced and trained volunteers to employ at their companies.
Because of that need and the industry's response, GRID has grown its Workforce Programs over the past 10+ years.
GRID IE's Workforce Team: Jailene Vera, Paola Ramos, Sandra Romero, Neil Warren, Erik Rodriguez Cerda, and Cindy Corrales.
It takes a team of people to ensure our trainees make it to graduation day. So, we also celebrate every person who helped support their learning, engagement, and ability to attend our training center daily.
Those people include our workforce and construction staff who, over these past five weeks, have been providing hours of instruction, coaching, and guidance for learning in the classroom, lab, and out on our build sites; we celebrate the family members and support systems who helped get our graduates to the training center for class or encouraged them to keep going, and we also celebrate our workforce partner agencies and case managers who provide critical wrap-around support services to ensure our trainees have transportation and other essential needs like boots or someone to talk to and think through upcoming life choices.
We thank them all and everyone who helped ensure these eight remarkable individuals successfully completed training and graduation.
Sandra Romero, Workforce and Training Manager
We believe in providing meaningful solar training and access to jobs at no cost to our participants. Because of this support, we can do this work and make solar job training accessible to those who need and want it the most.
Erik Rodriguez Cerda, Workforce Programs Coordinator
GRID does this because we believe in connecting good people in our communities to good career opportunities in an ever-growing industry and to fill the entry-level training gaps in our local clean energy economy.
It took the combined efforts of everyone who came to the CTTC on graduation day and even more people who couldn’t attend—to make this happen. Thank you!
GRID IE would also like to thank our supporters who provided the critical funding to build our Clean Tech Training Center, increase staff capacity, and support the expenses required to run this IBT 200 cohort. Thank you, U.S. Bank, Citizens Business Bank, Edison International, Kaiser Permanente, Bank of America, Pacific Premier Bank, the Honda USA Foundation, and the James Irvine Foundation.
The first IBT 200 Graduates of 2024 with the GRID IE Workforce and Training Staff.
The next IBT 200 class starts in August 2024. If you or anyone you know is interested in this fantastic opportunity, you can find more information and apply here!