Nexamp is laying the groundwork for a workforce training initiative that will help meet growing demand for skilled workers in the solar industry.
Solar and storage developer Nexamp is laying the groundwork to build a diverse solar workforce through its Department of Labor (DOL)-approved registered apprenticeship program.
The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 includes a myriad of incentives for the solar industry, but in order to take advantage of many of them, solar developers must meet specific guidelines as far as pay, number of apprentices employed and ratio of workers who come from qualified apprenticeship programs. While qualifying for tax credits is one impetus, building out the workforce was a major driver for Nexamp.
“When we talked about becoming an approved apprenticeship employer, one of the biggest motivators was to formalize our commitment to workforce development,” said Marion Jones, vice president of Workforce Development and DEIJ Engagement at Nexamp.
“It’s a way to ensure we’re creating a pathway into the industry for individuals who might be interested in clean energy careers.”
Nexamp found, however, that developing a registered apprenticeship program isn’t easy.
The rigorous process requires interested companies to define job roles, outline training standards and establish classroom and on-the-job learning requirements. Jones explained that Nexamp’s first approved apprenticeship role is construction craft laborer (CCL), a position that can include preparing sites for solar installations, environmental restoration and handling equipment.
“The first step is identifying whether the DOL has already approved the role you want to register,” Jones explained, adding it’s usually easier to align a new apprenticeship program with an existing standard than create a new role from scratch.
After aligning its program with the CCL designation, Nexamp worked with the DOL to develop a training framework that met national safety and skill standards.
The approval process, which Jones managed as a team of one, took about six months from start to finish and she said it is “definitely doable” within six months “if you’re ambitious.”
Although Nexamp has over 20 internal candidates who could transition into apprenticeships, the company is still finalizing onboarding logistics before setting a firm start date.
“We’re in the final stages of preparation,” Jones said, noting that Nexamp senior construction superintendents could fulfill the apprenticeship program’s journey worker requirement. “Once everything is in place, we’ll be able to move forward with training our first apprentices.”
Being a DOL-approved apprenticeship employer also strengthens Nexamp’s partnerships with community colleges, veteran groups and reentry organizations.
“We want to engage individuals as early as possible,” Jones explained. She explained Nexamp has programs geared toward high schoolers, college students and beyond. This includes a high school innovation lab, summer internship opportunities, a STEM fellowship with City Colleges of Chicago and the Solar Sunrise rotational workforce pipeline program.
The company already collaborates with organizations like the Chicago Urban League and Safer Foundation and plans to leverage these relationships for recruiting apprentices from diverse backgrounds and environmental justice communities.
Nexamp sees its apprenticeship program as a launchpad for long-term clean energy careers.
Workers who start in the CCL role could become senior construction superintendents, construction managers or project managers and eventually continue their careers as program managers or directors.
“Workforce development opportunities can be life-changing,” Jones said. “They can help change the trajectory of a person’s life. The barriers that exist for other career paths requiring prior experience are removed with apprenticeships.”
Jones encouraged other clean energy companies to pursue apprenticeship programs.
“It’s important to keep the ‘why’ in mind,” she said. “If we develop individuals in our communities, we’re strengthening our communities and our local economies. There’s a domino effect.”
The company plans to expand its workforce training initiatives nationwide.
Read about National Guidelines for Registered Apprenticeship Programs, developed through a partnership between Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA), the Interstate Renewable Energy Council (IREC) and the Midwest Renewable Energy Association (MREA) that were just approved by the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL).
