NYCETC is launching a Member Spotlight series in the NYC Workforce Weekly to introduce our readers to the wide variety of workforce programs and services that our members offer across the five boroughs. We are kicking this off by highlighting new members that have joined the Coalition in the last year. This week we introduce you to Solar One.
Solar One’s mission is to design and deliver innovative education, training, and technical assistance that fosters sustainability and resiliency in diverse urban environments. Through its various core programs that engage and educate diverse stakeholders and communities, the organization empowers learning that changes the way people think about energy, sustainability, and resilience, and new ways of living and working that are more adaptive to a changing world. Now serving over 500 students per year, Solar One’s Green Workforce program celebrated a major milestone in 2019 by surpassing 4,000 total students trained since its inception in 2009.
“I’m inspired on a daily basis by seeing the real-world changes made from our work at Solar One,” said Max Levitzke, Director of the Green Workforce Program. “Our organization is in a very unique position that allows us to strive forward for two important issues: 1. fighting climate change and championing for a more sustainable NYC, and 2. providing job training and employment opportunities in energy efficient fields to underserved communities across the city. Combining these two areas together is leveraging a boots-on-the-ground solution towards employment in areas that can reduce the City’s carbon emissions.”
Solar One’s Green Workforce Program offers hard-skills technical training and industry recognized certifications tied to green building operations and maintenance, energy efficiency, and solar PV. Its courses are delivered in active, hands-on formats at a training lab in Long Island City, Queens. Courses are primarily targeted to entry-level students with little or zero experience in the field, and are often combined together for a four-week training program to provide students with a combination of basic hands-on skills and experience with tools, a background in energy efficiency and sustainability, and specific skill sets to open doors in the construction, buildings or solar PV job sectors.
The two-week long Green Construction program covers carpentry, electrical and plumbing. The two to three-week long Green Building Operations and Maintenance results in students receiving a varied combination of Solar One certificates of completions, GPRO Operations + Maintenance, EPA Lead Renovator, BPI Multifamily Building Operator, OSHA 30 and NYC DOB Site Safety Training certifications. The two to three-week long Solar PV Installer course results in students receiving a varied combination of Solar One certificates of completions, NABCEP PV Associate, OSHA 30 and NYC DOB Site Safety Training certifications.
Solar One’s training model relies on strategic partnerships with other workforce and social service organizations throughout NYC to provide services to a diverse pipeline of individuals interested in working in the renewable energy, sustainability, construction and building sectors. The organization is looking to build new workforce and employer partnerships for any organizations or companies interested in partnering for future training or hiring students from its programs. The organization is looking to build new employer partnerships for any companies interested in hiring students from its programs. Companies and organizations looking to partner can contact Max Levitzke at levitzke@solar1.org or (646) 576-5661.
Learn more about Solar One via a short doc made by BRIC and apply via its website.