Local solar workers see bright future: Education
preparing diverse students for jobs in alternative energy field
Mar 9 - McClatchy-Tribune Regional News - Joe Vardon The Blade, Toledo,
Ohio
Shortly after receiving her undergraduate degree from the University of
Toledo in December, Rosa Zartman accepted a job as a UT lab technician
studying photovoltaics.
About three months after starting a business designing and installing
wind and solar-powered systems, Dan Klear signed up for a photovoltaics
design and installation course at Owens Community College.
Ms. Zartman, 22, and Mr. Klear, 57, both got what they wanted out of
their very different educational experiences -- employment working in
the solar energy industry.
Ms. Zartman majored in physics at UT and was attracted to
photovoltaics through her studies there.
Mr. Klear had already started his business before he signed up for
training at Owens, but without that training he wouldn't have been able
to actually do the job.
"I wanted to be knowledgeable in the field," said Mr. Klear, a retired
GM worker from Ottawa, Ohio.
He is the co-owner of a three-man company called Superior Energy
Solutions.
"I wanted to be able to intelligently offer products and be able to put
them together for our customers," Mr. Klear said.
Ms. Zartman, of Fayette, Ohio, represents the faction of people in the
solar industry who spent years in school studying so they can research
and develop solar energy technology.
Recently she was measuring light being absorbed and transferred by solar
panel samples with Brad Smith, 23, a senior at UT.
"It makes me feel really proud and it's amazing to see all that we
achieve here," Ms. Zartman said.
Mr. Klear is more representative of a different movement -- a trend of
blue-collar workers being retrained so they can make and install solar
products. He is one of the 200 people who have enrolled in Owens'
photovoltaics installation training program in the last six years.
Mike Bankey, vice president for work force and community services at
Owens, said many of those who enroll in the week or two-week training
programs are already employed.
Mr. Bankey said many of those enrollees either work for renewable energy
companies or for other businesses that are interested in projects that
involve those kinds of technologies.
"We are offering our PV [photovoltaics] training classes much more
frequently now," Mr. Bankey said.
"We might have three or four classes going on at the same time at
different locations."
Owens also now offers a solar production course as well as classes in
wind, geothermal, and energy management.
Training in renewable energy manufacturing and installation has taken
place on Owens' main campus in Perrysburg Township, at its Findlay
campus, as well as in Fulton, Hancock, and elsewhere in Wood County.
In addition, Owens is currently training 36 individuals at The Source in
Toledo with federal stimulus dollars.
Ohio recently received $6 million in stimulus funds to pay for companies
to send their workers for renewable energy training, and the state also
made such training a focus of its Ohio Workforce Guarantee program.
All with the hope that thousands of manufacturing and installation jobs
in the solar industry will one day be available in Ohio.
"We're banking on serious growth," Mr. Klear said. "We think in the next
five to 10 years, solar will be picking up," he said.
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