Solar Energy Training [Video]

This is my 1st video interview with Stephanie Andelman Regional Sales & Marketing Specialist for REC Solar. This interview was taken at the SunFest in Denver nears Coors Field.

SolarDave: I get a lot of requests by email about people wanting more information on Solar Energy Training, where can people go to get training in Colorado?

Stephanie Andelman: So as more people understand solar and the industry grows there is obviously more demand for skilled employees and there are more people wanting to make career switches over to solar.

Here today I have had 3 people come up and say, “I am a programmer in the software industry and I want to go in to solar, I am a sales person and I don’t sell anything related to solar but I have sales skills, I am a contractor and I would rather build solar than to just build big houses”.

Every time we go to an event, we are here today to tell people about solar and recruit and acquire customers but have of the people we talk to are interested in a career shift.

I read that this (solar) industry will grow to 2 billion dollars in the next 2 years, so there is obviously opportunity for job growth so how do you get trained? And my opinion right now is on the job training. You do it, you learn while you are doing it and in another couple of years we will have to skilled labor force.

SolarDave: What about training here in Denver where can they go?

Stephanie Andelman: There is I believe a Rock Rocks Community College that has a solar course of sorts. I don’t know if it is installation of electrician based education, but in Carbondale Colorado very close to Aspen there is a Solar International Institute (I think Stephanie meant Solar Energy International).

So in Aspen they have an institute that is internationally known and they train from the basic installation to being that master electrician who wants to specialize in solar.