New Sun Road Establishes Workforce Development Partnership with LA Cleantech Incubator
By Mike Kelley, Jobs Pipeline Manager, LACI
As the microgrid industry continues to rapidly expand, New Sun Road and the Los Angeles Cleantech Incubator (LACI) have established a workforce development partnership to open doors for folks pursuing careers in the field and improve the industry’s racial and gender equity.
LACI’s Green Jobs Workforce Program is a multi-tiered workforce training pipeline program that provides technical training, professional development, and industry-recognized certifications to help historically marginalized groups succeed in the green economy. Select participants are matched with LACI startups and partners for internships and potential job opportunities. Since its inception in 2019, 411 participants have been trained, 88% have earned an industry-recognized credential, and at least 70% have been placed in gainful employment or post-secondary education routes.
Arizona State University’s Laboratory for Energy and Power Solutions led the Microgrid Maintenance Fellowship curriculum hosted by the LA Cleantech Incubator and in this pictured session, trained over 40 aspiring renewable energy professionals in various microgrid components and common troubleshooting techniques.
New Sun Road has come in as one of those employer partners and their CEO, Adrienne Pierce, and CFO/COO, Shivani Ganguly, have kindly lent their time as guest speakers to the cohorts. Out of LACI’s Microgrid Maintenance and Building Energy Management Systems Fellowships, they have hosted interns in the areas of project management, market sector analysis, and cybersecurity compliance. These interns are building their professional skills and pursuing renewable energy career pathways.
“We strongly believe that a clean energy future must include everyone and we need the participation from different sectors and backgrounds,” commented Adrienne Pierce, CEO, New Sun Road. “For clean, reliable electrification in the US, we must triple our current energy capacity. LACI is a lynchpin providing training and connecting opportunities as stepping stones to a career in a growing, more equitable green economy.
The Microgrid Maintenance program was led by Arizona State University’s Laboratory for Energy and Power Solutions and included an ‘Introduction to Microgrid Modeling’ in XENDEE, a microgrid decision support software. The Building Energy Management Systems Fellowship led by the Northwest Energy Efficiency Council focused on building infrastructure and how to leverage technology when managing building efficiency measures and energy use.
“Many of our fellows come to LACI seeking a foot-in-the-door to sustainability careers and we’re very grateful to New Sun Road for being one of our employer partners,” said Mike Kelley, LACI’s Jobs Pipeline Manager. “Between Lee, Michael, and Ernest, they’ve very thoughtfully built out project scopes that provide valuable industry exposure to the fellow and advance business objectives.”
“Working as an intern at New Sun Road is a refreshing experience since each of my colleagues is sharp and addresses questions and company needs head on. It’s neat to work in an environment where people bring all their skills and background to meet the issue at hand and to solve a problem big or small,” said Ernest Kwong, one of New Sun Road’s interns. “Shivani and the team have trusted me with many information security tasks and with finance tasks as well. These have given me a great window into how things work at New Sun Road, how the product is developing and evolving, and how to improve my own skills in these areas.”
Any industry in its relatively nascent stages before mass adoption has a golden opportunity to embed racial and gender equity in its workforce and hiring practices. We urge fellow industry partners to partner with renewable energy workforce training programs working with underrepresented communities.
If you’re an employer interested in discussing this program, please reach out to Mike Kelley, LACI’s Jobs Pipeline Manager, at mkelley@laincubator.org.