5 Questions With Ashton Stripling
What is Edison Job Corp all about?
Our mission at Edison Job Corps (EJC) is to help young people learn job and life skills that will lead to long-term success and to reach their potential in their chosen career field. We also want to help our graduates deal with various challenges that might come up after they have left the Job Corps program. This includes housing, healthcare, food assistance, and much more.
How does Edison Job Corp’s work intersect with advancing clean energy goals?
Edison Job Corps, in line with the Department of Labor’s goal, is focused on transforming its program to become an “infrastructure academy.” This will support New Jersey’s goal of addressing its infrastructure needs. This includes advancing green technologies that support a clean energy future – which will be powered by people. And we are training those people here, today.
Our trainings create a path toward good-paying, family sustaining jobs in the clean energy economy here in New Jersey. By training young people to install solar panels safely and efficiently on residential and commercial rooftops, we’re ensuring that the future demand for solar installers can be met with qualified, motivated young people.
Explain how EJC works with Solar Landscape
Edison Job Corps, Solar Landscape, and GAF Roofing partner together to provide a weeklong hands-on training session for Edison Job Corps students. After participating in the training, students receive a certificate in solar installation, which can be a critical steppingstone toward a rewarding career. We’re grateful to the community solar projects hosted by commercial real estate leaders like Heitman and Principal which make our trainings possible.
Proudest moments and greatest accomplishments?
Recently, one of our graduates from the program came back to speak to our current students. It was a great demonstration of how giving one young person the training and motivation to join the clean energy workforce can create opportunities for even more people in the future. It’s a great example of success creating more success.
What’s in store for 2024?
We’ll be hosting a solar installation training in April 2024. As the impact of community solar continues to grow, training even more people to meet the demand is crucial. We also look forward to having a dedicated space for solar installation training on the Edison Job Corps campus -a very tangible example of the impact solar is having on career training everywhere. Most of all, we look forward to the continued and increasing demand for solar installers. That demand is being driven by Solar Landscape and its commercial real estate partners as they work together to develop even more community solar projects.
