GRID is dedicated to building a diverse, equitable, inclusive solar workforce that offers people of all backgrounds access to family-sustaining careers that bring wealth to their communities. GRID’s Installation Basics Training (IBT) curriculum consists of three weeks and 120-hours of interactive classroom learning and hands-on solar training labs. Job trainees learn in Spanish about safety, construction basics, electricity basics, array installation, commissioning and O&M, and employment readiness offering students resume-building support, interpersonal skills training, and job search assistance to graduates get hired and stay employed. Job trainees learn to install PV systems with storage to build resilience against climate-related disasters and grid outages which affect Puerto Rican residents.
Job trainees earn a stipend to support wrap-around services, like childcare, transportation and meals, to remove barriers to participation. We work together with Puerto Rican workforce organizations and community-based organizations to recruit students from diverse backgrounds including people who are underrepresented in technical roles in the solar industry.
Upcoming Courses
Jan 29 - Feb 16, 2024 - complete
March 4 - March 21, 2024 - complete
April 8 - April 26, 2024
May 13 - May 31, 2024
June 17 - July 5, 2024
July 22 - August 9, 2024
Are you interested in sponsoring job trainees in Puerto Rico?
If you are interested in providing financial support so more job trainees can participate in our solar workforce training program, please contact us at international@gridalterantives.org. Individual, foundation, government, job training organization or company sponsorships are available.
In Collaboration
In 2023, GRID Alternatives and Empowered by Light launched a one-year pilot solar workforce training program to prepare people for entry-level solar installation careers and beyond, using GRID’s Installation Basics Training (IBT) curriculum.
Thank you to the following companies and associations for your in-kind support: Enphase Energy, IronRidge, Windmar, Interstate Renewable Energy Council (IREC), La Asociación de Contratistas y Consultores de Energía Renovable de Puerto Rico (ACONER).