Originally published in the DOE Newsletter (Amped Up!) – View original publication >>
It’s never too late to start over.
After serving honorably in the U.S. Army for almost five years, Sergeant Rozie Amenya was in search of a new career path. And at the age of 36, her timing was perfect as the Solar Ready Vets program was just starting up.
Amenya’s new plan and career focus is renewable energy. She, along with 23 other transitioning service members and veterans, recently completed the Solar Ready Vets program at the Fort Carson Army Base in Colorado. They make up the second Fort Carson cohort in the Sunshot Initiative’s training program– the first to include female graduates.
“I heard about it through the community emails Fort Carson sent around,” remembers Amenya. “They were blasting it around for a week, and I figured since this thing is following me around, I better sign up.”
Amenya, who moved to the states from Kenya at the age of 17, took the six- week training course from Solar Energy International—a partner in SunShot’s
Solar Instructor Training Network. She learned various skills in the solar industry, ranging from the basics of electricity to the fundamentals of grid-tied photo- voltaic design and installation.
“This course really opened my eyes about renewable energy,” said Amenya. “The instructors were outstanding. They really made sure that people who have never done any of this stuff left with enough knowledge to go out and be successful.”
The U.S. solar industry is expected to become an important source of well- paid, highly skilled jobs for veterans like Amenya. According to the Solar Energy Technologies Office, the industry has seen steady and rising employment, up nearly 86% since November 2010. In 2014, employment rose nearly 22% and created one out of 78 new jobs in the United States. Current projections suggest solar could add as many as 36,000 new jobs in the next year.
To tap into this market, Amenya and her colleagues interviewed on the final day of the program with SolarCity, Vivint Solar, SunRun, and SunEdison—some of the largest companies in the solar industry.
“Just going into those interviews, you felt more confident,” said Amenya. “You have more informed answers because you actually know about the industry.”
Rozie Amenya has new career opportunities because of Energy Department training for veterans.
Amenya, who worked for IBM and PricewaterhouseCoopers before joining the Army in 2011, has already heard back from three of the solar companies she interviewed with. She is focusing on project management and is currently tak- ing courses to round out the experience she gained from the Solar Ready Vets program.
The Solar Energy International (SEI) and SunShot training pilot has helped train a total of 67 service members through Solar Ready Vets. The U.S. Department of Energy and Department of Defense plan to expand the program from four to 10 military bases.
