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)

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) is 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, aims to institutionalize within the community colleges training that individual employers are currently having to provide – at cost to productivity and quality.

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

This project has developed curriculum in solar photovoltaic design and installation at the two community colleges in Silicon Valley that were best equipped to deploy rapidly due to existing programs, faculty, and facilities and will be deployed at other colleges as the project progresses. The curriculum has been modularized (approximately 80-120 hours), with a significant paid internship component (320 hours), and delivered in accelerated, flexible formats. It prepares students for an entry level certification from the North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners (NABCEP). Plans include expansion to a certificate program based on the higher-level, industry standard NABCEP certification with preparation for certification exams.

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