Attendees sign in at the Solar Energy Contractor Clinic, hosted by the Minority Business Development Center
Local contractors and jobseekers in Peoria recently had the incredible opportunity to explore jobs and openings in the electrifying solar industry at the Solar Energy Contractor Clinic and Job Fair. This event allowed for diverse contractors and jobseekers to network, secure jobs and learn about grants in the Central Illinois solar industry.
Solar energy has been growing rapidly in the Peoria and Tazewell counties, with over 700 installations now spanning the area, and with that growth has come high-quality, family supporting job opportunities.
The clinic and job fair event was hosted by the Minority Business Development Center at Illinois Central College. Denise Moore, CEO and Founder of the Black Business Alliance Peoria Chapter, stated that this was a great opportunity for those interested in working in clean energy to expand their knowledge and connections, especially in an area that needs more solar installers to handle the rapid growth.
“Many of those who are already in solar are looking for workers,” Denise said. “There are lots of companies here in the Peoria area, as well as in the Bloomington area and the central area of our region, who are putting solar panels on people’s homes, their businesses, and setting up solar arrays on ten- or 20-acre properties. And they don’t have enough people to help do that work.”
Many of the attendees walked away from the fair with new job opportunities and connections with the largest solar companies in the state. Simply E&C Corp, one of the companies present, said that they were excited to help Central Illinois save money on their energy bills and help build a clean energy future.
“It’s all going back and increasingly helping the environment,” said Calvin Payne with Simply E&C Corp. “That’s the biggest thing with solar. Instead of harming the environment, you’re helping the environment in a natural way.”
Solar is empowering Illinois communities to build their local workforce, offer cost savings for residents, and provide renewable energy solutions. More people are seeing the long-term benefits of a strong solar industry and are able to access high-quality, family-supporting career opportunities due to job fairs and learning opportunities such as this.
“This should be important to anybody who is interested in not only saving the planet, but making money at the end of the day,” Denise Moore said. “The bottom line is people want to feed their families. People want to grow the community. We definitely want to grow the community here in Peoria and in Bloomington, and this is a way to do that.”
Learn More
Watch Peoria's very own 25 News Now coverage of the Solar Energy Contractor Clinic and Job Fair here.
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