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About
SolarJobs SA is an education and workforce initiative that kicked off in January 2023 thanks to a collaboration among St. Philip’s College, Project Quest, OCI Solar Power, and the San Antonio Area Foundation. SolarJobs SA provides scholarships for students living in the greater San Antonio area who are enrolled in the Power Generation & Alternative Energy Program at St. Philip’s College.
Students are encouraged to work toward a renewable energy degree and test for certifications from the National American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners. To ensure students’ success, Project Quest offers support services, including childcare stipends, utility assistance, and gas cards as well as helping scholarship recipients with preparing their resumes, sharpening their interviewing skills, and connecting them to opportunities in the renewables industry.
Education
The Southwest Campus of St. Philip’s College in San Antonio is home to the Power Generation & Alternative Energy Program. The 2-year degree and certification program focuses on alternative power sources, including solar energy, wind energy, hydrogen fuel cell, energy storage, smart grid, and microgrid. The SolarJobs SA initiative has helped bolster the program’s offerings to two degrees and six certifications.
Certifications
- PV Installation
- PV Technical Sales
- PV Design Specialist
- PV Installer Specialist
- PV Commissioning & Maintenance Specialist
- Solar Heating Installer
Associates Degrees
- Photovoltaics
- Solar Heating
St. Philip’s College is the only NABCAP-certified training center in South Central Texas. The North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners (NABCEP) is the most respected, well-known, and widely recognized certification organization for professionals in the renewable energy industry.
SolarJobs SA covers tuition for the program, the fees to take the certification exams, books, equipment, and more.
To apply for the Power Generation & Alternative Energy Program at St. Philip’s College and receive funding from SolarJobs SA, contact Craig Overmiller, Program Director, at covermiller@alamo.edu or call 210-624-1668
Partners
OCI Solar Power, one of the leading utility-scale solar and battery energy storage system developers in Texas, initiated SolarJobs SA as a way to give back to the City of San Antonio – a city it has called home since 2012. Recognizing their expertise in the solar business, OCI Solar Power turned to a local institution and two organizations that could help take their idea for an education and workforce initiative and make it a reality. OCI Solar Power partnered with St. Philip’s College, Project Quest, and the San Antonio Area Foundation. Together they were able to kick off the initiative in the spring of 2023.
St. Philip’s College is one of five schools that comprise the Alamo Colleges District (ACD). ACD serves Bexar County residents by providing one- and two-year degree and certification programs. St. Philip’s is the only college federally designated as both a historically black college and a Hispanic-serving institution.
Project QUEST (Quality Employment through Skills Training) was established in 1993 to provide San Antonio’s unemployed and underemployed citizens with job training and placement services.
The San Antonio Area Foundation (SAAF), the City’s philanthropic foundation, helps close opportunity gaps by providing grants, community initiatives, resources, and training
Organizational Chart
Program Sponsor
Providing $500,000 over three years to fund the program
Program Manager
Managing the fund and overseeing the program
Educational Services
- Scholarships
- Curriculum
- Adjunct Instructor Stipend
- Classroom Supplies
- Classroom Equipment
- Instructor Certification
- Testing Fees
- Consumables
- Textbooks
- Tools
- NABCEP State License
Support Services
- Housing Assistance
- Utility Assistance
- Online Connectivity
- Childcare
- Gas Cards
- Health Services
- Tutoring
- Job Training
- Interviewing Skills
- Job Bank
- Job Placement
History
The demand for solar professionals is on the rise and San Antonio is ground zero for the education, development, and training of workers. Historically, OCI Solar Power helped fund five scholarships for students who enrolled in St. Philip’s College’s Power Generation & Alternative Energy Program, the only one of its kind in South Texas.But more recently, OCI Solar Power, which is the only utility-scale solar and battery energy storage system developer in the Alamo City, originated SolarJobs SA as a way to re-energize the Program, empower more students to join the booming industry and give back to the city it calls home.
After reaching out to local organizations, Project Quest and the San Antonio Area Foundation committed to the collaboration that offers students an opportunity to get educated, trained, tested, and certified without having to leave town. Previously, students had to travel to Austin or El Paso to take the certification exams. SolarJobs SA is now an education and workforce initiative that provides students with free assistance for everything from scholarships to job placement in the renewables industry. The first class of students began the program in the spring of 2023, and a news conference announcing SolarJobs SA’s early successes took place in May.
Click here to read the news release. Click here to see photos from the event.
Contact Us
To learn more about and enroll in the Power Generation & Alternative Energy Program at St. Philip’s College and receive free tuition through SolarJobs SA, please fill out the form below.
