Goodwill Industries of New Mexico graduates first cohort of solar technicians

The world watched as celebrities ventured into space last week, but Kevin George didn’t give it much thought. He was busy learning how to harness the sun to power homes on Earth.

“I mean, Mars is fine, but I live on Earth,” said George, a graduate of Goodwill Industries of New Mexico’s new solar technician program. George’s focus: caring for Earth and the people on it.

Goodwill Industries of New Mexico is doing the same through the paid, four-week Solar Installer Training Program aimed at building the future of clean energy in the state one solar panel and New Mexican at a time.

The program — offered through the Goodwill Clean Tech Accelerator — launched in New Mexico in March. The Goodwill Clean Tech Accelerator is a workforce development program that equips people with the necessary skills to fill in-demand, entry-level energy jobs, according to GINM’s website.

“Up until now, most of our skills-based training has been classroom-based,” said Sesha Lee, GINM’s chief services officer. “It seemed like a logical next step to jump into a hands-on skills training, especially in an industry that’s new and growing.”

Lee said labor market data shows continued projected growth in employment opportunities for solar positions. Jobs in the clean energy sector grew by a rate of 4.9%, more than double the job growth in the rest of the economy, according to a 2024 report from the U.S. Department of Energy.

According to GINM Clean Tech Instructor Kevin Brooks, there are many opportunities for specialization and promotion in the solar industry that go beyond the entry-level position of solar technician and installer, including solar commissioning, electrical, senior installation, warehouse, designing and project management positions.

Eleven graduates — ranging in age from early 20s to early 60s and primarily from Albuquerque — completed the program on April 11 and were recognized at the graduation event on Tuesday. One of those graduates was Jonathan Wilson from Shiprock.

Wilson, a 56-year-old licensed contractor, journeyman and former electrician in the U.S. Coast Guard, heard about the solar training program through his local Veterans Affairs program after being laid off by Process Equipment & Service Company, Inc., or PESCO, last year.

“I wanted to take (this) class because I had been asked in Phoenix, when I lived there, to work on them, but I did not know enough about it,” Wilson said. “It was perfect because I did not have to go to California to take the class.”

He did have to travel to Albuquerque for the training, but the “detailed knowledge” he received made it worth it, Wilson said.

Lee said GINM hopes to make the program more accessible statewide.

“There’s planned growth for this program in the next three to five years,” Lee said.

That growth includes training two more cohorts before the end of 2025, rolling out up to five four-week trainings starting in 2026 and introducing two new clean-tech programs, involving heat pumping and electric vehicle charging, in New Mexico by 2027.

The next round of solar training starts in early June and already has more than 20 applicants, Brooks said.

The program instructors received high praise from Wilson, who continually expressed his appreciation for their knowledge, expertise, dedication and sincerity.

“That class should be taught like that all over the nation,” Wilson said.

Program participants trained for 40 hours a week and were paid $15 an hour for three of the four weeks, Lee said.

Wilson currently works as an instrumentation and electrical technician in New Mexico’s oil fields, but he plans on offering solar panel washing services on his off weeks until he can afford a truck to carry all of his equipment and can begin doing more solar service and maintenance.

George, 58, has already secured a job with Unirac, a North American designer and manufacturer of solar mounting systems.

George said he wouldn’t have explored a career in the solar industry without the program. He and Wilson said they feel proud to be among the first graduates of the program in New Mexico and hope to represent it well.

“Now, I feel fully prepared to do any type of work in the industry and do it quality,” Wilson said. “I feel confident that I can go and get the job done correctly.”

As the program grows, Brooks said he hopes it serves as a pipeline for local solar companies to find qualified workers and plays a role in supporting and shaping New Mexico’s transition to clean energy as it unfolds.