In a bid to close the growing gap between qualified rooftop installers and solar energy ability, Ontario Solar Academy has recently introduced a new center which will supply professional training to interested students in the Greater Toronto Area. Designed to provide training courses based on the learning objectives of the North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners’, NABCEP, trainees can gain vital knowledge and skills related to Solar Photovoltaics (PV).

The solar training will be undertaken during a five day course, which will see students focusing on the curriculum set by the NABCEP. In addition, students will also spend countless hours devoting their time to workshops, as well as receiving useful experience in solar installation, wiring, and solar site evaluation.

Solar Energy Workforce Shows Shortage of Trained Professionals

The training undertaken with OSA would ultimately boost the number of qualified solar rooftop installers. According to the Canadian Solar Industries Association (CanSIA) labor force market survey, after an expected doubling of the solar labor workforce by 2012, over half of the solar corporations in Canada will experience harsh labor shortages.

The survey found that solar installation positions would represent for 78 percent, while system designers, project managers and engineers would account for 51, 40, and 40 percent respectively. Unless drastic measures are implemented and the number of qualified rooftop installers increases, the future of solar energy could potentially diminish the future of clean electricity in Ontario.

The Impact of Solar Training in Ontario

Undertaken once a month for five days, the OSA exposes students to pioneers in the roofing workforce, in addition to electrical contractors and entrepreneurial developers. Students who are provided with contacts in the solar industry will learn skills that will be beneficial to their future careers as professional rooftop installers helping to deliver clean electricity to Canada’s residents. Not only that, but the possible increase of qualified solar rooftop installers could offset the estimated labor shortages predicted by 2012.

President of SunLit Technologies, Tracy Hammer, explains that solar energy would “increase affordability, boost collective bargaining power, and improve transparency for the Ontario solar industry as a whole.”

Provided once a month in Toronto, future solar installation training sessions are scheduled to begin March 22, April 26, and May 26, with additional locations in Ontario planned in the future.