VAL is partnering with Ace Academy at Burlington Technical Center (BTC), Sun Common and the Vermont Department of Labor to host a Solar Installation Apprenticeship Program, training individuals for jobs in the growing renewable energy sector. With unprecedented unemployment, due to economic fallout from COVID-19, opportunities to train for in-demand, well-paying jobs are vital to re-energizing Vermont’s economy. Participants will meet one evening per week from October 2020 to December 2021 and transition to full-time paid work from May to December.
“It’s an Integrated Education and Training (IET) Program,” said Ethan Maurer, Regional Director of VAL’s Chittenden Learning Center, “allowing participants to strengthen academic and employment skills at the same time. We are always open to partnerships fostering workforce development.”
VAL’s role will be to work with New Americans recruited to the program. VAL teacher Chanon Bernstein, a former Peace Corps Volunteer with extensive experience teaching essential skills to adults, is co-designing a curriculum, with technical trainers, tailored to terms and concepts required for success in the construction field—with the added benefit of soft skills.
Applications are due September 13th. Contact Marni Leikin at BTC at
[email protected] or apply online at: https://forms.gle/ticJ7jB3KaoX2Pxs6