The energy transition - and solar industry within it - requires new talent to address the social and entrepreneurial aspects of changing energy systems. However, there is a general misconception that the workforce required consists solely of engineers and others with technical backgrounds. Earlier this summer, we held a virtual careers webinar for twenty-six (26) 7th graders from Maple Hill Jr High School, to debunk some of these myths.

We started off by talking about solar energy and the role of solar farms in the energy transition. It was particularly exciting that a majority of the participants had seen a solar farm, knew the basics of their operation, why they exist, and even though they were beautiful. Spotlighting Eden Renewables’ work across three continents, we discussed the roles of developers in providing access to clean energy while contributing to countries’ climate goals.

To illustrate the diverse range of talents needed, we shared three two-minute videos presenting sneak peeks into the work lives of our Director of Operations, Director of Project Development, and Solar System Designer. Our two project coordinators also spoke about the importance of their respective roles (technical and non-technical) and how they complement each other for the successful operation of the company. Working with the class, we listed numerous other roles in the industry. 

To give the students a practical idea of the skills required for those various roles, we asked the curious bunch of 7th graders to identify which skills were required. They quickly realized the possibility of contributing to the energy transition without a “mathematics”, “coding” or “physics” background - all subject areas they initially believed were needed for jobs in the solar industry.

As well as the engaging conversations on solar industry career opportunities, it was interesting to see that the students noticed that the majority of presenters were women - in an industry that's still largely male-dominated! They also realized that in a post-covid world, even teams within the solar industry now collaborate remotely with co-workers around the globe, as one of our team members was dialing in from West Africa.