A new solar jobs toolkit provides a comprehensive guide for the solar industry to meet the high demand for qualified employees and build a skilled and diverse solar workforce. This resource includes a detailed guide for setting up work-based learning programs to invest in current and future workers.

The guide, Strategies for Workforce Development: A Toolkit for the Solar Industry, was released at Intersolar North America by the Solar Training Network, a program led by The Solar Foundation and funded by the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Energy Technologies Office.

The toolkit draws upon two years of Solar Training Network engagements with employers, trainers, industry associations and community organizations in a range of solar markets. It provides practical steps for the industry to better align training with evolving workforce needs to ensure a steady supply of talent.

Included is a Workforce Development Action Plan showing how solar companies can partner with local workforce development boards and American Job Centers to support the hiring, recruitment and training process. The public workforce system, now underutilized by the industry, can help solar companies find qualified candidates and connect them with diverse talent pools to increase the hiring of women, people of color, low-income people and veterans.

The toolkit also includes a step-by-step implementation guide for building a work-based learning program, including internships, apprenticeships and on-the-job training. Formalized work-based learning can reduce the cost of hiring, streamline the training process and raise the solar industry’s profile while building a better-qualified workforce.