Kupu pilot program will fill solar installation jobs
From KITV
Hawaii's green technology job industry is booming and a nonprofit group is looking to give young men a chance to have hands-on training. The state Department of Labor and Industrial Relations predicts the creation of more than 440 photovoltaic installation jobs over the next couple of years.
With that in mind, the nonprofit Kupu gave a group of young men an opportunity to receive free job training in solar panel installation. Kupu's Urban Corps pilot program has been in the making for the last several years. The program kicked off in March, offering free classroom sessions and on-the-job training that helped six men ranging in ages 17 to 23.
"We've had partnerships with Hawaii Youth Challenge, and that is where the majority of our youth came from," Kupu Urban Crops leader Jared Davis said. "What we're hoping it will do is help them move from having a hard time at home to being able to start their career somewhere they'll be successful."
Hawaii's largest solar installer, Sunectric, partnered with the nonprofit providing material and staff to teach skills from initial solar panel sales to actual installation.
Over the last few months, these men have worked on residential projects and most recently, on a commercial warehouse installing panels expected to generate $8,000 worth of electricity per month. Training will be completed by the end of this month, and the men will graduate from the program on the first of June.
