SOUTH PORTLAND, Maine — Maine has numerous clean energy goals to meet in the coming decades, but some people in the field said Maine needs more workers to give the state a shot at meeting those goals.
ReVision Energy in partnership with Portland Adult Education and Portland Arts and Technology High School created a pre-apprenticeship program—Renewable Energy Careers: Introduction to Solar Installation and Heat Pumps Program—to streamline multilingual adults into the renewable energy sector.
"I think I can mix my background, my knowledge with what they are teaching here," Pierre Dende, a participant, said.
Dende is an electronic engineer and studied engineering outside of the United States. He joins nine other participants in the program, all recently having come to the U.S. He said one of his biggest challenges is improving his English.
"It’s more like catching up their language to a knowledge they already have," Abbie Yamamoto, Portland Adult Education's executive director, said. "It helps all of us benefit from people who are already coming from a lot of experience."
The program gives people with prior work experience, like immigrants or veterans, the chance to learn the basics of solar installation and heat pumps.
Pre-apprentices will walk away with a resume, a new skillset, an OSHA 10 certification, and a few solar-specific certifications, according to ReVision's workforce specialist Astrid Blanco.
Nginga Tamane also has a background in engineering after earning an education in Ghana and a master's degree in the United Kingdom. After arriving in the U.S. last year, he is still waiting for his work permit application.
"In the meantime, I’m doing this pre-apprenticeship program, so when I get my work permit I can continue and grow in this program."
After completing pre-apprenticeship, participants will have the opportunity to work for ReVision Energy or other partner employers, Blanco said.