This is an excerpt from the February 9, 2012: New Incubator opportunity, nationwide training, and PV valuation tool edition of the SunShot newsletter.
Training Network Spreads Skills and Innovation
If "school" means a desk, classroom, and the smell of chalk and markers, then the latest training opportunities from SunShot's Solar Instructor Training Network (SITN) are definitely not schools. Designed to provide access to master PV instructors and the latest in industry practices, SITN is developing two new training vehicles that reach potential solar workers and code officials where they live.
The PV On-Line Training tool will provide free, web-based training on solar PV inspection and building code practices for Code Officials across the country. Inspectors from Nacogdoches to Newark will be able to take eight in-depth modules on photovoltaic inspections at their convenience and then attend a free follow-up training beginning in summer 2012 at a nearby partner school. PV On-Line Trainings incorporate a simulated video environment for a "gaming" atmosphere that changes the scenario each time it is opened.
The SunShot PV Training Trucks will be rolling into rural and far-flung communities in 2012, taking photovoltaic training equipment to convenient local venues for workers, city officials, building inspectors, and others who want high-quality training. SunShot partners with more than 235 community colleges and training facilities nationwide. For those who don't live near a partner school, or for building inspectors who need training but can't spare the time to travel to a facility, the SunShot PV Training Trucks will provide a great solution.
Qualified instructors will staff the trucks and offer the same accredited PV installation training courses as in the classroom. Each of SunShot's six mobile units is packed with a cutting-edge PV training lab. In the West and Midwest especially, the trucks can cover large territories, serving students wherever the sun shines.
Visit the Solar Instructor Training Network website to learn more about opportunities in your region.