US Solar Training and Certification Driving Success

For the past 5 years, USSolar Institute (USSI) has trained and certified more than 1,000 professionals to work in the growing solar energy industry –  and it has accomplished this remarkable feat at no direct cost to the American tax payer.

While many rival solar training schools receive green stimulus funding, both at the state and federal levels, the Fort Lauderdale-based PV College has expanded primarily thanks to community support and its own resources.

USSI President and Founder, Ray Johnson, chalks this success to the strength of his program’s curriculum.  After attending a number of solar training alternatives across the country, Johnson designed a business model specially designed to equip students with the most relevant safety, electrical, solar, and regulatory skills deemed necessary in today’s quickly evolving PV industry.

USSI’s approach represents a critical departure from most solar PV training schools.

Rather than “teach to the test” in an effort to prepare students for any number of optional licensing exams, Johnson’s team has quietly built a true solar PV college that offers programs licensed by the Department of Education.  This is in sharp contrast to unofficial solar training classes that offer “certificates of completion” – credentials that may or may not be recognized beyond the confines of the school in question.

Despite USSI’s unconventional approach to real-world training, the feedback that Johnson’s school continues to receive is a testament to the preparation that it gives students.  According to graduate Stephen Janota, who entered the solar workforce immediately upon graduation when he applied to Solar Service Inc. out of Niles, IL.  “They were very impressed with the level of knowledge I obtained at USSolar Institute and offered me the position on the spot”.  Janota adds, “It’s a great feeling when co-workers with more experience have immediate confidence in me.”

Equally impressive is the growth that USSI continues to demonstrate – especially when many solar programs are going out of business during these stressed economic times.

“The secret is our growing popularity at the international level,” says Johnson.  “Although we primarily serve the Florida market, USSolar PV Certification and USSolar Institute Diplomas are becoming ad hoc standards for countries throughout the Caribbean and Latin America.”

In addition to students from the Americas, USSI routinely boasts graduates from as far as Europe and Asia.  In fact, international organizations like Solar Maxx, Vodafone, and the United Nations have directed their employees attend USSI’s solar PV training.

However it’s not just quality instruction these international students and employers are after.

Johnson explains, “When people travel that distance after an Internet search, they want premier training, and we’re obliged to deliver.”  He adds, “But those who come for our month-long sessions eventually go back to their respective countries and become leaders.  This is what sets us apart.”

Not content to rest on his laurels, Johnson continues to expand outward by hosting seminars and workshops off-site in an effort to raise awareness of his program’s offerings and to ensure that emerging solar markets avoid many of the costly mistakes typically associated with burgeoning industries.

Later in April, for example, USSolar will co-host the first-ever Jamaica Alternative Energy Expo.

Held in Kingston from the 15^th to the 16^th, the Expo will bring together stakeholders from throughout the Caribbean and Latin America as they map out a course towards greater energy independence.