Sierra College and the City of Roseville are holding a press conference to announce the award of a $470,000 state grant to help fund training for solar (photovoltaic) panel installers. On hand will be Dr. Leo Chavez, President of Sierra College, Jim Gray, Mayor of Roseville, representatives from area solar companies, and Placer County's economic development professionals.
Sierra College has been awarded $470,000 in Industry Driven Regional Collaboratives (IDRC) funding by the California Community College Chancellor's Office, to develop a Photovoltaics Technician training program. This grant will play a key role in educating the future 'green collar' workforce for solar companies, contractors and local governments.
The Sierra College-City of Roseville partnership is unique in that the hands-on classroom at the City's Corporation Yard will also be available to train the region's building inspectors and firefighters in photovoltaic technology. This will streamline and standardize the inspection process and add to the basic skills of area firefighters in the event a residence or business with photovoltaic technology catches fire.
With the region's annual 'Cap to Cap' trip beginning this week, the timing of the grant award is ideal – some 400 business and community leaders will be traveling to Washington DC beginning this Friday to lobby federal legislators on various policy issues, including clean and green technology.
Sierra College campus, 5000 Rocklin Road.Â