Solar Energy International (SEI) Solar Installer Training Alumni Highlight: Alex Jahp

Alex Jahp returned to Solar Energy International (SEI) this month after beginning his solar installation training at SEI last fall. Alex’s solar career began after he was inspired by the impact of PV in the developing world. While travelling through areas of rural Africa, Alex was struck by just how big of a difference small PV systems could make in these communities, many of which have no utility grid. “I was mesmerized by the concept of how this could change the world. In areas like this, they might never build a grid. Solar is really changing these people’s lives; they can read books to their kids at night, they can prepare food at night, they can do all sorts of different things and I thought that was incredible.”

When he returned to the U.S. he applied to the work-trade program at Solar Energy International, working at SEI to offset the cost of his classes. Using his trade credit, Alex completed a full series of SEI classes, jumpstarting his solar career. Alex came to SEI with a degree in Economics and no experience in solar PV or in related fields. Despite this, Alex says the experience he gained from his solar installation training at SEI directly led to his current employment with an alternative energy company in Utah. “I would say it takes years for you to learn out in the field what I learned at SEI but I work with people who have been in the field for years and haven’t learned a lot of the things I’ve learned here. It’s just a really unique place because you have people from all over the country that are doing different things, and from different backgrounds, collaborating and sharing their experience in these classes.”

Like many who are starting out,  Alex began on a crew doing grid-tied residential installs. From those residential projects, he began working on a 280kW commercial system. He worked with his more experienced colleagues, apprenticing with them to learn the ins and outs of residential and commercial systems before later getting involved in off-grid installs. His initiative to learn on the job and his prior training experience allowed him to grow quickly in the company. Now that he has greater responsibility in the company and is working on more complicated systems, Alex has come back to SEI to complete PV351L. This Operations and Maintenance Lab Week is an intensive, advanced training designed for solar professionals already working in the PV industry who want to take their technical skills to the next level ­ and gain hands-­on experience with a wide range of advanced analytical tools and meters.

Of his decision to enroll in class Alex said, “at my company, we’re working on bigger and more complicated systems. There aren’t many folks who I’m working with that know how deal with some of the more complicated problems we’re encountering with those systems. I came back to SEI to learn about these issues. I’m hoping to not only apply that knowledge at the company where I work but also to other systems in the area that other people have built that are either out of service or are having production issues.”

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Solar Energy International (SEI) is hiring a full-time Marketing and Communications Assistant in Latin America to join our Spanish Program team

SEI is excited to be hiring a NEW position to our growing Spanish training program. The Spanish Program at SEI was founded in 2013 to provide solar PV training for Spanish speakers within and outside the US, namely Latin America.

The SEI Marketing and Communications Associate (MCA) is responsible for implementing the strategy around the messaging and marketing of SEI’s Spanish Program. Through working with the SEI Marketing Team, the position will be assisting with the production of marketing materials, implementing social media efforts, as well as assisting with branding efforts of SEI’s Programa Hispano in the Latin American region. Requirements for this position will include strong marketing and communications experience with social media and branding throughout the Latin American region. This position will work across multiple departments at SEI, including Spanish, Student Services and Marketing. This contract position will start at approximately 32 hours/week with a monthly salary of $1600USD. Additional benefits include paid travel to SEI’s campus annually and free SEI training. The hours for this position are flexible, however, the successful candidate will be working with our team in Colorado, USA, so must be available for meetings set in Mountain Standard Time (MST). The ideal start date is December 1, 2016.

The deadline to apply for this position is October 21, 2016. To apply please send IN ENGLISH your cover letter, a 2 page resume with related experience, and three references as one combined PDF to Faye: faye@solarenergy.org

Some specific duties include:

• Email Marketing, Social Media, Promotional Materials, Programa Hispano Website, Marketing Communications, Press Releases, Print Advertising, Blogs, Public Relations

Some qualifications required:

• Have a command of best practices and trends in social media marketing, enjoy being creative, and understand how to both build and convert a digital audience
• Strong communication skills, and the ability to work with all types of people
• Ability to handle multiple inquiries in both Spanish and English, including managing daily phone calls, emails, and others tasks, often under minimal supervision

You can download a full job description here. Marketing and Communications Assistant-Latin America

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Solar Energy International (SEI) and GRID Alternatives Colorado Create Partnership in Support of Solar Ready Colorado Training and Outreach Program

Solar Energy International (SEI) and GRID Alternatives Colorado team up to promote Solar Ready Colorado, SEI’s comprehensive training and career outreach program for Colorado residents.

Visit SolarReadyColorado.org

The program, a part of a matching grant awarded to SEI through the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment’s WORK Act Grant, enables dedicated staffing and outreach efforts to a Colorado specific market. Chris Turek, Director of Marketing for SEI said, “We are excited that the State of Colorado selected our training and outreach program to ensure a highly skilled clean energy workforce here in our home state.  The program provides training and career resources for those who have transferable skills wanting to get into this industry or for solar professionals who want to take their careers to the next level.”

The effort ensures Colorado’s talent pipeline will stay strong and prepare the state’s workforce for the changing landscape of energy production and distribution. The Solar Ready Colorado training and outreach initiative will be able to increase the number of Coloradans who can fill the predicted skilled workforce shortage in the state, specifically in the solar industry. In a recent 2015 solar jobs report, Colorado ranked in the top 10 nationally for solar jobs with almost 5000 employed in the sector that is growing exponentially (over 173% growth in the last 10 years). Colorado is attracting large solar PV investors and projects into our state, illustrating the necessity for Colorado to have a trained and skilled workforce to take on these projects vs. skilled labor resources being brought in from other states.

Together, SEI and GRID Alternatives Colorado provide a comprehensive experiential approach to solar energy training and a multitude of learning opportunities for those new to the industry. GRID Alternatives Colorado is a nonprofit that makes solar technology and on-the-job training accessible to underserved communities in Colorado while SEI, a nonprofit educational organization with over 45,000 alumni worldwide, provides formal solar energy technical training in classroom and hands-on lab environments.

Volunteer install opportunities with GRID Alternatives provide invaluable hours in the field working in tandem with educational programs like SEI’s industry-leading technical training courses. Utilizing a formal training program and volunteer time at community-based solar installation sites provides great experience for hopeful and veteran solar professionals as they progress through their careers, promoting the highly skilled, technical workforce that is the cornerstone of Solar Ready Colorado.

About Solar Energy International (SEI)

Solar Energy International (SEI) was founded in 1991 as a nonprofit educational organization. Their  mission is to provide industry-leading technical training and expertise in renewable energy to empower people, communities, and businesses worldwide.  With over 45,000 students and alumni worldwide

About GRID Alternatives

GRID Alternatives is America’s largest nonprofit solar installer making renewable energy technology and job training accessible to underserved communities through a network of community partners, volunteers, and philanthropic supporters. For more information, visit www.gridalternatives.org

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