In response to society’s rapidly increasing demand for renewable energy technologies and the need for a qualified workforce to implement these solutions, ReVision Energy launched the ReVision Energy Training Center (RETC) in 2018. RETC is an arm of our business that focuses on training and professional development.
RETC's purpose is to support the personal and professional development of ReVision Energy co-owners to build the resilient workforce needed to serve our shared mission. RETC focuses on four key internal and external areas:
RETC supports the workforce realities facing northern New England. Maine and New Hampshire are two of the oldest states in the country and are facing a critical shortage of skilled electricians as the region embraces ‘beneficial electrification‘ in the form of solar electricity combined with heat pumps, battery storage, and electric vehicle charging. Working in an industry with high market demand that lacks the benefits of a legacy workforce development infrastructure, ReVision Energy has invested in developing its own infrastructure to streamline professional development for new clean energy professionals.
State and federal regulations concerning the installation of solar electric systems and complementary technologies are becoming increasingly stringent. Our installation work needs to be done almost exclusively by licensed electricians with the help of registered apprentices in very specific supervisory ratios.
RETC was developed to resolve the acute shortage of licensed electricians in New England by providing a streamlined pathway to licensure for our employee-owners. Fostering employees’ personal and professional growth is also embedded in our core values. RETC is our most innovative expression of this value and plays a crucial role in equipping our team with the skills needed to achieve our long-term mission.
The ReVision Energy Electrical Apprenticeship Program (REEAP) is an innovative, first-of-its-kind program that creates a pathway for many to enter a viable, trades-focused clean energy career. Through REEAP, ReVision is training and mentoring the next generation of electricians.
REEAP is the first employer-based apprenticeship program in the nation to provide the academic training required for renewable energy professionals to earn electrical licensure.
Unlike conventional trade schools, REEAP doesn't require students to leave work or attend evening classes multiple nights a week. As an in-house, registered apprenticeship program, REEAP is a work-and-learn program that provides on-the-job training and technical training to complement the professional and personal lives of our apprentices.
REEAP is designed to meet the needs of our apprentices, electricians, and employee-owned company with a focus on equity and growing access to high quality solar jobs.
Learn more about our Electrical Apprenticeship →
RETC Director Vaughan (featured in the video) and his team are expanding RETC’s efforts beyond our electrical apprenticeship program by supporting the professional development of employee-owners across our company.
ReVision Energy has seen a historical growth of roughly 20-25% per year. This demand has driven the need for highly skilled professionals who can sell, design, build, and maintain clean energy systems and other professionals who work behind the scenes to support the needs of running an employee-owned B Corp. These highly skilled professionals often aren’t recruited – they’re grown. With the speed at which our technologies change and our markets grow, ReVision Energy is largely in the business of helping passionate, skilled individuals apply their passions and skills to a new set of challenges.
RETC supports our ability to do just that. RETC is directed by Vaughan Woodruff, who joined us after his own employee-owned B Corp merged with ours, and has broad experience developing technical solar training. In addition to knowing the ins and outs of running a renewable energy construction business, he has developed and delivered training to assist community colleges, schools, labor unions, and universities in integrating solar into technical training programs.
From our electrical apprenticeship to supporting the professional develop of all of our co-owners, RETC is leading innovative programs to help us deliver on our mission of helping lead the region’s transition away from fossil fuels while supporting social and economic justice within our communities!
Nearly 90% of millennials want a job with a company whose mission aligns with their personal values. As a growing industry with huge potential for career development, solar offers a wide variety of job types that are technical, challenging, and just plain cool. The trades are an especially exciting career space for young people who are looking for work outside of the office with room for skill development and professional growth.
The transition to a solar-powered economy is just starting to hit scale with solar having dropped in price by over 80% in the last ten years. Solar is now cost-competitive when pitted side-by-side with more traditional alternatives.
As the grid rapidly transforms from a centralized, fossil-fuel powered system to a decentralized, ‘internet of things’ model powered by solar, a dramatically larger pool of skilled electricians is needed to build the grid of the future.
RETC was built to support these workers in gaining the skills they need to have a meaningful, impactful career in renewable energy. Check out our available careers and see if a career of lifelong learning with ReVision is right for you!