Expanding the Solar Workforce through the Illinois Community College System

Technical Report · Sun Dec 04 04:00:00 EST 2022

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/2280522· OSTI ID:2280522

Davis, Katie ^[1]; Raney, Bill ^[2]

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1. Illinois Green Economy Network, Grayslake, IL (United States); Lewis & Clark Community College
2. Illinois Green Economy Network, Grayslake, IL (United States)

The Illinois Green Economy Network (IGEN) is a consortium of all 39 Illinois community college districts working to grow the green economy in the state. The network aims to build capacity in sustainability and transform education by connecting business/industry and educators to resources, curating information and tools, cultivating partnerships, and advocating for change. Led by IGEN, the goal of the “Expanding the Solar Workforce through the Illinois Community College System” project was to create and sustain a comprehensive, statewide strategy that equips education and training providers, workers, businesses, and communities with resources and tools to prepare a solar workforce. A cohort of five Illinois community colleges participated in the program based on their capacity and interest, as well as their potential for and proximity to industry growth in the state: City Colleges of Chicago, John A. Logan College, Kankakee Community College, Lewis and Clark Community College, and Lincoln Land Community College. The project had three Objectives, 1) Address an unmet need by increasing the pool of skilled solar workers, 2) Keep pace with evolving needs of the solar workforce by improving programs to be more accessible and industry-driven, 3) Strengthen IGEN’s capacity as a statewide resource for solar education, training, and workforce initiatives. Overall, over 400 students were trained in solar installation practices, with over 40 businesses engaged. Additionally. the project spurred a number of innovations and the development of effective practices related to establishing and maintaining a solar installation program at a community college. This project sought to identify effective and scalable practices for developing a solar installation program which included the following components: enrolling students into aligned programs; developing curriculum and courses which meet industry needs; placing students in solar installation or related employment; and sustaining programming past grant funding. Through this project- IGEN was able to identify critical components of a solar installation program. Detailed further in this report these components describe 1) Necessary conditions for establishing a solar installation program, 2) Program structures use cases for different contexts, 3) Effective practices related to student pipeline development and program throughout. As a result of this project- all five participating community colleges have expressed support for continuing to offer solar installation training to their students. Additionally, three nonparticipating colleges in IGEN have expressed interest in adopting practice, courses, or curriculum developed through this program. IGEN has also committed to making the curriculum, course structure and other materials available on their website for accelerated adoption of effective practices both state and nationwide.

• Research Organization: Lewis & Clark Community College, Godfrey, IL (United States); Illinois Green Economy Network, Grayslake, IL (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), Renewable Power Office. Solar Energy Technologies Office
• DOE Contract Number: EE0008576
• OSTI ID: 2280522
• Report Number(s): DOL-LCCC--EE008576
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

14 SOLAR ENERGY
Community college
IGEN
Renewable energy
Solar
Solar workforce