Solar Landscape on May 18 said it expanded its Workforce Development Program to include a Green Ambassador Program (GAP) for New Jersey high school and vocational/technical school students.
As part of the program, the Asbury Park-based clean energy company will award $20,000 in first-year scholarships ranging from $500 to $2,000. Scholarships will be awarded to outstanding students who complete the GAP and compete in a sustainable energy project competition.
Solar Landscape’s GAP was developed in collaboration with several key community partners from the private and public sectors with a common goal and vision to increase renewable energy awareness and education. It is part of the greater mission of the company’s Solar Workforce Development Program, which is to help educate, train and develop the solar energy industry’s future workforce.
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The company hired Todd Menadier, a former adjunct professor at Stockton University who holds a Master’s Degree in Power Systems Engineering, to lead the program. The GAP will consist of five virtual training sessions where participants will learn about solar energy and renewable energy careers from industry leaders and connect with like-minded students.
“This is a great opportunity to educate the thought leaders of the future about policy, careers, business strategies and environmental issues,” said Menadier. “Gov. Murphy said it best – ‘the clean energy economy is a once in a generation opportunity for New Jersey.’”
The GAP will officially launch in June 2021 and new sessions will be made available every two weeks to students throughout the summer and into the 2021-2022 school year. The first-year scholarships are expected to be awarded in August 2021. To increase awareness of the GAP, Solar Landscape is providing introductory solar energy classroom training to New Jersey high school and vocational/technical school students across the state.
Educators interested in bringing solar energy training to their classroom can email Menadier at: todd@solarlandscape.com. Students interested in the ongoing GAP can find out more and enroll online here.
