The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is piloting an intensive solar workforce training program-Reach for the Sun-to provide transitioning military personnel the highest quality professional skills to prepare them for a potential employment in the solar industry upon discharge. The DOE has partnered with Solar City, SunRun, Vivint Solar, SunEdison, and SunPower to interview and potentially hire the soldiers after leaving the service.

Solar Energy International (SEI) is honored to have been selected to lead the pilot programs at Camp Pendleton and Fort Carson. The first round of training at Camp Pendleton kicked off on January 20th.

Twenty transitioning Marines were selected to be the first cohort of trainees. This four week intensive training, which is taught by some of SEI's finest instructors including Kelly Larson, Kyle Bolger, Gary Handlin, Jay Peltz, JR Whitley, Joe Villacci and Ken Gardner, includes our PV101 to establish the foundation, a version of our grid-tied lab week, a focus on the NEC and design, troubleshooting and O&M, and battery-based PV system design.

At the end of the training, each participant will take the NABCEP Entry Level Exam and have an opportunity to be interviewed (and hopefully hired) by the companies. The whole program will conclude with a graduation celebration on February 13 and will include special representatives from our government.

I was lucky enough to spend the first few days with the class. The instructors kicked off the class with introductions and asked the Marines what they currently do, what their hobbies are and where they want to work upon leaving the service. It was immediately obvious how special of a group this was.

There's Napoleon, a staff sergeant with a solid background in electrical and construction, who is getting ready to retire after 27 years of service to our country. (He also recently designed an innovative water bottle.) He wants to stay in California with his family. There's Travis from Ohio who is a generator mechanic with a passion for working on trucks and is willing to work anywhere. (You should have seen his very tricked-out truck in the parking lot!)

Or Justin who is a diesel mechanic who loves working outside and being with his twin daughters. Even during his introduction, it was obvious that Justin will thrive as a solar salesperson.

Or Ace, from NYC, who is a radio operator with a serious passion for growing his own food and anything sustainable. Or Sal, who does electrical repair for aircraft (and cars on the side), and has been in the service for over 19 years. He wants to stay in California. As each person introduced themselves, it was evident that no matter if they worked with generators or artillery, their skills are transferable to the solar industry.

It was also evident that each of these Marines truly embodied the spirit of Semper Fidelis. It goes beyond teamwork-it is a brotherhood that can always be counted on. Latin for "always faithful," it guides Marines to remain faithful at the mission at hand, to each other, to the Corps and to country, no matter what. Even within the classroom, they lived this.

When a truck pulled in to deliver a shipment of modules and inverters, the class sprang to action and within minutes, everything was safely unpacked and ready to be installed. (Any solar company would be so lucky to have this group!)

Even when the students were working on a series and parallel wiring exercise, I witnessed a classroom buzzing with learning and helping one another. In talking with the four instructors who are teaching this week, they kept sharing stories of how well this group is working together, despite many of the participants having never worked together before.

There is a rapidly growing need for workers within the solar industry. The recent Solar Foundation report confirmed a growth rate of over 21% since November 2013! There are a rapidly growing number of service members who are transitioning out of the military or who are veterans. The Department of Energy, with its commitment to growing the solar industry by breaking down barriers to installation, wants to connect these two groups together.

As an employer, I want someone who has a strong work ethic, who is going to get things done right the first time, who remains faithful to the mission at hand while having a positive attitude.

If this same person also has been trained in solar...well that's the person who is getting hired. As an organization, SEI will continue to ensure that our active duty military personnel and veterans receive the best possible training that we can so that they are truly prepared not just for jobs, but for careers within the solar industry.

As an industry, it is our duty to provide opportunities for training and jobs for the men and women who serve our country. The DOE's Reach for the Sun program is taking steps to do just this, however, it's going to take the whole Solar Industry to complete this mission.

Stay tuned because this program is just the tip of the iceberg.

Watch a Video on the program here.