Earlier this summer, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker announced a new Climate Works investment of $30 million on Chicago’s South and West sides. The investment will help build the clean energy workforce and job opportunities for low-income communities. Over the next three years, the state will partner with the 548 Foundation to train over 1,000 workers for the solar energy field.
The solar training course in an intensive 13-week experience that provides comprehensive classroom curriculum, a hands-on boot camp, wraparound support services, and helps connect graduates with employers. Trainees test for and receive multiple certifications including OSHA 30, NCCER, and NABCEP. The program is also a pre-apprenticeship qualifier, allowing graduates to move on to long-term apprenticeships in fields such as carpentry, electrical, plumbing, and labor. Each cohort ends with a job fair, where employers have said such training programs are crucial for them to find workers in Illinois, where robust solar incentives are attracting many out-of-state companies eager to hire and hit the ground.
Read more here: ‘The sky is the limit’: Solar program opens new opportunities for Chicago trainees | Energy News Network