Silicon Valley
Solar Industry-Driven
Regional Collaborative

Project Co-Directors: Rick Kuhn & Catherine Ayers

De Anza College Center for Applied Competitive Technologies
(a 4energy partner initiative)

http://SolarWorkforce.com

Partners

• CACT – De Anza College – Project Management
• Silicon Valley Leadership Group – Advisory, liaison to industry, SVWorks partner
• SolarTech – Industry partner/driver, evaluation criteria, DACUM participants, interns
• NOVA WIB – Internships, workforce outreach
• Workplace Learning Resource Center – Mission College – Assessment, intake, screening
• San Jose City College –Applied Science & Technology – Credit program development
• Cabrillo College – Community Education & Economic Development – Credit program
• Advanced Transportation Technology & Energy – West Valley College – DACUM
• Sustainability Institute Ohlone College – Curriculum deployment

SV Solar IDRC (Silicon Valley Solar Industry-Driven Regional Collaborative) was a strategic regional response to meet the need for a skilled workforce in photovoltaic solar system design and installation. This industry-driven effort, responding to the message conveyed at the February 2007 New Energy Workforce SVWorks event in Santa Clara, aimed to institutionalize within the community colleges training that individual employers were having to provide – at cost to productivity and quality.

Industry commitment included paid internships and job interviews for successful completers. The companies involved were members of the SolarTech industry coalition, plus additional installation companies. The coordination and management for the project was from Foothill-De Anza Community College District. The planning was by a steering committee including five community college districts, industry leaders, and economic development agencies.

This project developed and disseminated curriculum in solar photovoltaic design and installation at the community colleges in Silicon Valley that were best equipped to deploy rapidly due to existing programs, faculty, and facilities. Since the project began, materials developed have been shared with community colleges throughout the state, many of which have since developed there own courses and programs based on the work of the SV Solar IDRC.

The curriculum has been modularized (approximately 80-120 hours) and can be delivered in accelerated, flexible formats. It also had a significant paid internship component (320 hours). It prepared 116 students for an entry level certification from the North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners (NABCEP). Future plans include expansion to a certificate program based on the higher-level, industry standard NABCEP certification with preparation for certification exams.

Many community colleges in California have accessed materials developed by the SV Solar IDRC and have been able to fast track their course deployment as a result.

A video documenting the project as well as access to many of the materials developed are available for download at SolarWorkforce.com.