With investment from businesses and organizations, and perhaps providence, a solar panel installation training company has opened on the West Side.
The Center for Sustainability, operating in a space rented from the Catholic Church, is preparing 20 classes and hopes to turn out 10,000 people over the next decade to work in a field that promotes sustainable work, decent wages and satisfaction to help the planet promise.
Developer AJ Patton, who is leading the project, said he would bring skilled labor to solar companies like his. Friends will be from disadvantaged areas and different backgrounds.
“We want to create affordable housing and options,” said Patton, who has integrated solar panels into buildings so tenants can pay less bills. “Ultimately, the people who participate in this program will help improve their communities.”
Late last year, Patton received $600,000 from Summit Ridge Energy, an investor in commercial solar plants, to kick-start the program. The 11-week program comes from Ecademy, a clean energy career school. The Jesuit Academy of Chicago and Black Men United agreed to recommend candidates.
Many pieces fit, but Patton struggled with the last one and found a place for the class. This is how Providence embarked on an adventure.
Consultation with Westside leaders resulted in them appointing Rev. Larry Dowling of St. to Agatha Catholic Church 3147 W. Douglas Blvd. The church rents space in a former school on the adjacent property. It turned out that the tenant was about to leave.
“We found the place right away, which never happens in real estate,” Patton said. The center signed a two-year contract with the church. Eventually, he hopes to build his own house near Lake Street and Kedzie Avenue.
For Agate Deuna, which supports many community projects, the training program was "obvious" for Dowling, according to Dowling. “It's a blessing that they can immediately put people to work, that's God at work.
Even without marketing, there are more than 50 people on the waiting list for the program, Patton said. Information is located at 548Enterprise.com/foundation.
He wants graduates to work on building solar roofs in four Chicago apartment complexes, which is scheduled for this year. The projects, including the development of Patton 548, are part of the city's Invest South/West program. Mixed-use complexes are located in both Lawndale, Humboldt Park, and South Chicago.
In Monday's class, the students practiced basic building skills and began assembling a wooden frame, learning about 45-degree angles, safe use of power tools, and the old-fashioned "measure twice, cut once" rule.
The program teaches students skills such as welding and pipe bending. Academy chief executive Rob Wallace, who organized the training on Monday, said the curriculum includes training in financial literacy and conflict resolution.
Graduates will become specialists in solar and wind energy. They get paid during their training and then qualify for jobs that can pay upwards of $40 an hour, Patton said.
Project director Travis Smith said the work "addresses two issues: poverty and sustainability." He said job growth in renewable energy projects remains strong as countries grapple with the climate crisis. “I see it as my passion,” he said.
