Financial Aid Underused/Capital Idea Provides Assistance to Renewable Energy Students

Aid Underused to Train in Renewable Energy: Emerging Nature of Industry an Obstacle

Sandra Zaragoza
Austin Business Journal
January 9, 2009

Danilo Castillo, a student at Austin Community College, wants a job in renewable energy.

To get it, he secured a deal with nonprofit Capital Idea, which is paying for Castillo’s tuition, books and even part of his children’s day care. He is one of six people taking advantage of the help, said Ron Modesty, senior employer coordinator for Capital Idea.

Although the deal may seem too good to pass up, that’s what’s been happening at Capital Idea. The nonprofit has the ability to assist dozens of aspiring green-collar workers in the same way. But not enough people are taking the offer for help.

The emerging nature of the renewable energy sector — which includes solar, wind energy and green building — has been an obstacle to getting people interested and trained for those careers, Modesty said.

“The biggest issue of an emerging industry is helping people understand what that career might look like,” Modesty said. “Those careers aren’t as attractive to them as some of the others, like health care.”

The opposite is true at Austin Community College, according to Hector Aguilar, chair of ACC’s electronics and advanced technologies department.

The community college, which offers certificates and two-year degrees in renewable energy, has 50 students on full scholarships.

“From our perspective, we’ve been able to get a lot of students interested. And to a large extent, it is because more and more companies, both big and small, are going into renewable energy areas,” Aguilar said.

Job seeker interest aside, experts are calculating that the renewable energy sector will yield a tremendous need for roofers, plumbers, carpenters, electricians and inspectors skilled in green practices.

Austin Energy’s chief administration officer, Patricio Alba, said the renewable energy field poses a classic chicken-or-the-egg scenario.

“When you are attracting businesses you want to have a trained workforce,” Alba said. “The challenge is when the students are finished will there be jobs? Or will the money roll out quickly enough to create jobs for these trained students?”

Alba adds that the Austin area has a head start in the sector with a number of employers now hiring in the field and with ACC’s program, which is considered a model for renewable energy workforce training.

Craig Bushon, president and CEO of Home Energy Solutions LLC, believes the renewable energy field will offer much-needed opportunities in the down economy.

“Right now, renewable energy is on an upswing and there is tremendous opportunity to be a leader in Texas,” Bushon said. “There will be a need not just for those who develop products, but also in installation, marketing and sales.”

The incoming Obama administration gives hope to some in the renewable energy and green building sector that the federal government will funnel more money toward business incentives and workforce training programs. President-elect Barack Obama has said job creation is a priority and renewable energy jobs will be a focus.

There are other bright spots for the renewable energy industry in Central Texas, such as the city’s energy conservation ordinance, effective June 2009, which will require owners of single-family homes 10 years old or older to obtain energy conservation audits prior to selling them.

Additionally, the Pecan Street Project — a new collaborative effort between Austin Energy, the Environmental Defense Fund, the University of Texas and several state and national corporate partners — is dedicating resources to researching and developing clean energy technologies in the area.

Still, people getting trained in renewable energy understand there is a risk that a job might not be waiting for them when they finish school, especially in the current economy.

“What I’m hoping is that by the time I graduate in six months, there will be more of a demand in solar energy,” Castillo said. “What I’m hoping is that the public is willing to pay for solar energy and that there will be more demand in the future. The industry just needs to educate the public.”