Woodworking 101: Solar Energy International Introduces Solar Training Curriculum Program

Freitag, 5. August 2011

Solar Energy International Introduces Solar Training Curriculum Program

Solar Energy International's Curriculum Licensing Program is a key way for training institutions to avoid reinventing the wheel when developing their own programs. Solar Energy International provides a professionally-developed, fully-packaged, solar training curriculum.

The Call for Quality Solar Energy Training Curriculum

"Hundreds of community colleges all over the U.S. are either considering or have started fledgling solar electric (photovoltaics) training programs. Until recently, Solar Energy International has been supporting community colleges with informal consultation during its 20 years of nonprofit educational service to the renewable energy industry," said Chris Turek, SEI's Director of Online and Educational Services. "In recent years, many community colleges and universities have reached out to Solar Energy International as the industry's leading training and curriculum provider with requests for assistance in the start up of these solar training programs. One of the most common realizations observed is developing curriculum for such a dynamic and fast-moving industry is costly and time consuming. The amount of requests for curriculum development and support has grown exponentially in recent years."

Turek said the feedback received from many community colleges is paying for internal curriculum development to create a quality academic training program and the continued efforts to keep it up-to-date takes too much instructor release time and is overall cost prohibitive.

"It has become clear that in order for a quality solar workforce in this country to be trained effectively through community colleges, Solar Energy International needed to offer the highly requested service for curriculum licensing and support," he said. "Now colleges have a quality solution."

To date, SEI has worked with Central Arizona College, the University of Hawaii - Maui College and Kaua'i Community College, SC Technical College, Pueblo Community College, West Virginia University, Truckee Meadows Community College, Front Range Community College, Central New Mexico Community College, Red Rocks Community College, Dixie Applied Technology College, College of Southern Nevada, Flathead Valley Community College, Pima Community College, and Weber State University to provide solar training curricula.

What full course training curriculum is available?

PV101: Solar Electric Design and Installation (Grid-Direct)
PV202: Solar Electric Grid Direct Design and the NEC
PV203: Solar Electric Battery Based System Design

What training materials are included?

Fully documented with learning outcomes and aligned with industry standards
Fully aligned with the NABCEP Photovoltaic Installer Job Task Analysis
Dynamic and animated PowerPoint presentations with clear instructor notes and talking points
Exercises based on current industry product spec sheets and calculations for real-world applications
Quiz banks with rigorous assessment questions and detailed answers

�Curriculum Credentials

SEI's solar photovoltaic (PV) curriculum was one of the first in the United States to be ISPQ accredited by the Interstate Renewable Energy Council (IREC).
Peer reviewed by Bill Brooks (electrical and NEC subject matter expert), instructional designers, and other industry experts
Industry-leading textbook, Photovoltaic Design and Installation Manual, used in colleges and training programs around the world and is available in English and Spanish.
SEI's training team consists of 20 industry-leading solar PV instructors who are ISPQ Certified Trainers and 24 instructors who are NABCEP Certified Solar PV Installers - more than any other solar training organization in the U.S. These instructors, who are actively working in the field, are part of the SEI curriculum continuous improvement and update process.

Contact SEI today to discuss your program and curriculum needs:

Phone: (970) 527-7657 ext. 207
Email: Kathy Swartz, kswartz@solarenergy.org