Paonia, Colo., March 24, 2021. Solar Energy International (SEI) and REC Americas announced today their partnership to create a scholarship fund that provides financial assistance for Native American students seeking solar energy education through SEI. The scholarship aims to increase Native American Indian representation among the clean energy industry by awarding $10,000 in solar training tuition fees to hand-selected Native American students, helping to facilitate their professional development and eventual entry into the solar energy workforce.
“Solar Energy International is the pioneer in providing the highest quality solar installation training curriculum available in the US. Besides being a pioneer in the solar industry, they have the best and most dedicated mission driven staff in the industry. SEI helped start my career in solar almost two decades ago. It is humbling and an honor to partner with SEI now to provide scholarships to the Native American community to encourage solar job growth and educational opportunities.” Cary Hayes, President, REC Americas
With a strong belief that there is a career for everyone in the solar industry, the scholarship aims to elevate underrepresented voices to strategically address some of the weaknesses prevalent in the industry. By empowering soon-to-be solar energy experts with the necessary training, the scholarship will help strengthen and build a more diversified solar workforce.
The scholarship funding is open to students in the U.S. who are at least 1/4 Native American Indian and a member of a federally recognized tribe. Selected candidates will be given tuition funds to cover SEI’s online or in-person training, with a goal of eventual job placement with a partner company.
For more information and to apply for the REC Native American Solar Education Scholarship, visit SEI’s scholarship page.
About Solar Energy International (SEI)
Solar Energy International (SEI) was founded in 1991 as a nonprofit educational organization with a vision of a world powered by renewable energy. As a leader in solar PV training worldwide, SEI is dedicated to building the global solar energy workforce. SEI has trained 80,000+ solar professionals from 145 countries worldwide who have been involved with over 10% of the world’s installed solar capacity to date. For more information, visit https://www.solarenergy.org.
About REC Americas
REC Group is an international pioneering solar energy company dedicated to empowering consumers with clean, affordable solar power in order to facilitate global energy transitions. Committed to quality and innovation, REC offers photovoltaic modules with leading high quality, backed by an exceptional low warranty claims rate of less than 100ppm. Founded in Norway in 1996, REC employs 2,000 people and has an annual solar panel capacity of 1.8 GW. With over 10 GW installed worldwide, REC is empowering more than 16 million people with clean solar energy. REC Group is a Bluestar Elkem company with headquarters in Norway, operational headquarters in Singapore, and regional bases in North America, Europe, and Asia-Pacific. For more information, visit https://usa.recgroup.com.
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