In October 2015, Tracy Woodburn and his wife picked up their life living in Texas and moved to the Inland Empire. “My wife was originally from Upland, CA so when we were thinking about our next adventure, we thought we should relocate to an area where we know people and have family nearby,” Tracy said. As he considered his next career move, the reality of Southern California air quality began to impact his job seeking decisions. “Texas is flat, so smog doesn’t hang around like it does here. I immediately thought about looking for a career that could help stop the smog problem. I started doing research into wind and solar careers then focused on solar because there were more training opportunities available.”
Tracy participated in a three-week online course that included a week of hands-on solar installation training. The instructor was none other than a retired GRID Solar Installation Supervisor who encouraged Tracy to volunteer at GRID. In February 2016, he began his GRID journey while continuing to take solar courses. Five months later Tracy was hired as a Solar Construction Intern, a four-month hands-on paid job training position. His paid internship with GRID Alternatives gave him the opportunity to build authentic solar work experience, a good reference for his resume, potential corporate and nonprofit networking opportunities, and gain valuable technical and professional work skills. He also achieved Team Leader status at GRID.
As his Solar Construction Internship was coming to a close, Tracy received four job offers from different solar contractors. He had a choice of where to go and opportunities he never had before. Even after accepting a position, the job offers keep coming, about one a week. “I’m very happy where I am, but it’s quite amazing to see the value of my GRID experience. I even started my own side business, Clean Solar, a company that provides professional cleaning of solar systems ensuring that they will function at their most optimum level of performance.”
“My experience with the internship was awesome. I still talk to the GRID team. The job was great, but the people and the environment made it better. GRID’s program gets you in the right place, points you in the right direction, and gives you excellent connections. The team is all very supportive and really helped me learn. It’s a wonderful organization to work for and a great way to get a job in the solar industry.”
Interested in getting a job in the solar industry, but you don’t have enough experience on your resume? Be like Tracy and apply for a position in GRID’s Solar Construction Intern program. You can get up to 300 hours of paid hands-on training allowing to launch a career in solar. Apply Now!